The war in Ukraine is the largest military operation by the Russian military in decades. Having seen its own invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan derail into a protracted and costly conflict, the US is now watching Russian military action with keen interest.
This is the first time in months that the Americans have again assessed Russian losses. August was the last before successful Ukrainian offensives in Kharkiv and Kherson. At that time, the Pentagon estimated that 70 to 80 thousand Russians were killed and wounded.
America’s highest-ranking military officer, Chief of Staff Mark Milley, noted the huge numbers during a speech in New York on Wednesday. According to him, the Ukrainian army is also suffering heavy losses. “You have to consider that more than 100 thousand Russian soldiers were killed and wounded,” said the general. The same may be true on the Ukrainian side. It is a lot of human suffering.’ According to him, about 40,000 civilians were killed.
Millie didn’t say what she was basing the numbers on. He did not say exactly how many soldiers were killed. However, the general certainly relies on information from the US intelligence agencies, the CIA and DIA, the Pentagon’s intelligence agencies. The US is closely monitoring the battlefield, including drones, spy planes and satellites.
‘Big strategic mistake’
They also eavesdrop on the communications of the invading army, including RC-135 spy planes flying near Ukrainian borders. The top soldier called the Russian invasion a “huge strategic mistake” for which Moscow would pay a heavy price “for years to come and beyond.”
Between 2001 and 2021, more than 60,000 American soldiers were killed or wounded during the long war between the Americans who invaded Afghanistan and Iraq. About seven thousand of them died. The war in Afghanistan is America’s longest war.
According to the Kremlin, Washington’s numbers are nonsense. By the end of September, according to Moscow, only 5,937 Russians had been killed in the war. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the number himself. This is a significant move because the Russian government has kept as little as possible about the losses, including military equipment, caused by the invasion force. After this, Moscow did not provide any new figures.
A woman who loves her father, who loves her country and dies defending it.
We cannot restore fallen soldiers, but we must take care of their children.
Photo by Mariana Brutka pic.twitter.com/zmAlLD6Oon— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 9, 2022
Bloody war
Russia also dismisses the numbers the Ukrainians are citing about Russian losses as big nonsense. Kyiv lists daily how many soldiers and military equipment the Russians have lost. As of Thursday, the invasion force, which began with about 180,000 soldiers, had suffered nearly 79,000 deaths, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
That’s significantly more than the CIA thought. In July, intelligence estimated that around 15,000 Russians had been killed. The CIA estimated total Russian losses at around 60,000 killed and wounded. However, the estimates of Ukraine and the United States have not been confirmed by independent sources.
A US assessment shows that the war in Ukraine is the bloodiest for Moscow since the end of World War II. The invasion of Afghanistan was Russia’s largest military operation until President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion in February. The invasion, which began in 1979, caused more than 68,000 casualties in a decade, including more than 14,000 deaths.
#Ukraine: Western precision artillery in action – 155mm M982 Excalibur hits and destroys/damages a Russian cargo truck, MT-LB and two T-62 tanks in the south. pic.twitter.com/MsWk9PjkPr
— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Watch (@UAWeapons) November 9, 2022
‘Ground Forces Affected’
CIA Director William Burns said in September that the war in Ukraine had ended in a complete “failure” for Russia. According to Burns, Putin and his generals misjudged Ukraine, particularly the military’s willingness to fight. The strength of the Russian military was also exaggerated by the Kremlin. Burns: “The weakness of the Russian military is not only exposed, but will cause long-term damage to the Russian economy and generations of Russians.”
The Russians had at their disposal 110 invasion units out of 170 combat units. Each Battalion Tactical Groups (BTGs) consists of about 700 to 800 soldiers. These combat units have suffered badly from the war and must now be supported by 300,000 reservists called up by the Kremlin. “Their ground forces are so degraded that it will take years to get them back up to par,” warned Avril Hines, head of all U.S. intelligence agencies, in the summer.
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