Russian forces in Ukraine have lost 54 tanks and more than 4,400 soldiers since Sunday, according to data released Friday by Kyiv's military.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that in addition to 4,410 casualties, Russia also lost 100 armored fighting vehicles, 137 artillery systems and 143 drones during the same period.
According to Ukraine's tally, Russia has lost a total of 479,710 troops since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion on February 24, 2022. Putin's military has also lost 7,434 tanks, 14,313 armored fighting vehicles and 9,826 drones during the course of the war.
Newsweek has not been able to verify these figures independently, and the Russian Ministry of Defense was contacted on Friday night via email for comment.
Tallies for Russian casualties have been difficult to confirm throughout the war, and Ukraine's figures are higher than many other estimates. The Kremlin rarely releases its own numbers, and when it does, the figures are thought to be undercounted.
Kyiv's latest figures on Russian losses come as Putin's forces launched a new cross-border offensive into northeastern Ukraine on Friday. Military analysts have said the new offensive could signal the start of a new major operation from Moscow's military.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that Kharkiv's regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said overnight strikes hit the city of Vovchansk, which lies approximately 3 miles from the Russian border.
"The barrage, which used powerful guided aerial bombs, artillery, rockets, tanks and mortars, killed at least one civilian and wounded five others, prompting authorities to begin evacuating about 3,000 people," the AP wrote.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said Russian infantry attempted to break through Kyiv's defenses near Vovchansk, but they were reportedly met with Ukrainian reserve units.
In a Friday address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his military will deploy additional forces to Kharkiv.
"Today, Russian troops tried to expand operations against Ukraine. We are aware of the size of the invaders' forces and see their plan. Our soldiers, our artillery, our drones are retaliating against the invaders," Zelensky said, according to a translation by Ukrainian media outlet Ukrainska Pravda. "I am grateful to each of our soldiers, each sergeant, each officer who are defending our positions in the best way possible."
The president continued, "We are adding more troops to Kharkiv fronts. Both along our state border and along the entire front line, we will invariably destroy the invaders to disrupt any Russian offensive intentions."
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby on Friday acknowledged to reporters that the attacks at Ukraine's northeastern border may be the beginning of a larger offensive.
"It is certainly possible that the Russians are setting themselves up for a larger assault on Kharkiv," Kirby said. "... It is very interesting and certainly concerning that they now appear to be setting themselves up to—at the very least—use long-range fires to try to range into Kharkiv. And one has to presume that you're not going to do that if you're not also thinking about some other larger assault directly on the city."
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jon Jackson is an Associate Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more
