An estimated 1,260 Russian troops were killed on the battlefield Saturday – the sixth straight day Russia lost over 1,000 men to fighting, according to new estimates.
The slaughter brings the total Russian deaths to nearly 500,000 troops since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion on Ukraine more than two years ago.
The figures from the general staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces were validated by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense in a statement Saturday.
With a depleted fighting force, Russia has started actively recruiting women for the war, The New York Times reported, even extending the efforts into prisons.
Recruitment is also an issue for Ukraine’s military, which has started tracking down draft evaders, The Guardian reported.
In addition to the heavy loss of personnel, Russia has also lost 7,366 tanks, 348 airplanes, 325 helicopters, 9,611 drones, 26 ships and boats, and one submarine since the start of the war.
These latest estimates come as Ukraine claimed to have downed 13 drones launched overnight from the Russian region of Belgorod on the northeastern border of Ukraine. Kyiv also claimed it shot down another Russian Su-25 fighter jet over the eastern region of Donetsk on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Falling drone debris injured six people – including two women and a child – on the ground, and started fires at residential and office buildings in Kharkiv, according to reports.
The Independent further reported that Russia also fired four surface-to-air guided missiles toward Ukraine, but it was unclear if they reached any of their intended targets.
Meanwhile, new drone footage showed the devastation wrought on Ocheretyn, a small village in eastern Ukraine that has been overtaken by Russian troops.
The footage shows no signs of life on the ground and virtually every building in the village has been destroyed as Russia continues its brutal campaign.
In other developments:
- Zelensky said he’s willing to consider an all-for-all prisoner of war exchange with Russia, and is expected to discuss the proposal at the upcoming Peace Summit in Switzerland in June. “All reasonable countries support this route,” Zelensky said Friday, adding P.O.W. swaps have been occurring, “but they are slower than we would like.”
- The United States and the G-7 are reportedly mulling a $50 million aid package for Ukraine, utilizing the windfall profits from frozen, interest-accruing Russian assets. G-7 leaders will met next month in Italy.
- Ukraine’s warfare wish list is long, but at the top is the MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone. The U.S.-made drones would help Ukraine better identify targets and conduct surveillance operations, Politico reported. However, U.S. officials fear Russia could shoot the $30 million drones down and gain valuable intelligence.
- Russian officials claim NATO is planning for war with the nation, and pointed to military drills, being carried out for months near the Russian border as proof.
- A Ukrainian security official said sea baby drones – unmanned aquatic vessels designed to explode upon impact – are key to the nation’s ongoing defense strategy. The drones have been used to target the 12-mile long, $3 billion-to-construct Crimean Bridge, which the official said is “doomed.”
With Post wires
