Russian Defense Minister Serhiy Shoigu said on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces lost more than 6,000 soldiers and hundreds of tanks during the January fighting, Interfax reports.

Vladimir Putin with Serhii Soigu and the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, General Valery GerasimovPhoto: Kremlin Pool / Alamy / Profimedia Images

“Despite unprecedented military aid from Western countries, the enemy is suffering significant losses. In the first month of this year alone, this is more than 6,500 military personnel, 26 planes, 7 helicopters, 208 drones,” he said during a video conference in the Russian government.

He also reported that in January, Ukraine lost 341 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, as well as 40 rocket launchers.

“Understanding that it will not be possible to defeat Russia militarily, the Ukrainian leadership continues to resort to criminal acts to intimidate the citizens of Russia’s new subjects,” he said, referring to the Ukrainian territories declared by Vladimir Putin. annexed at the end of September last year.

“The armed forces of Ukraine are striking residential areas, hospitals, places where the civilian population gathers and are committing terrorist acts against state and social institutions,” the Russian Defense Minister also accused, recalling that Kyiv refused the ceasefire proposed by Moscow. Christmas was celebrated according to the old rite.

Ukraine announced a record number of Russian casualties

Sergei Shoigu’s comments came after the Ukrainian General Staff announced on Tuesday morning that 1,030 Russian soldiers had been “liquidated” the previous day, a record for the nearly year-long war.

The Ukrainian military also estimated that they destroyed 28 Russian armored vehicles and 14 tanks yesterday, which is also a great figure. However, we remind you that these figures are not subject to independent verification and should always be treated with caution, as the information war is being waged on both sides of the conflict.

Eirik Kristoffersen, Norway’s chief of staff, said in an interview on January 22 that “Russian losses are beginning to approach 180,000 soldiers killed or wounded.”

Norway, a country that borders Russia, has been a member of NATO since its inception in 1949.

“Ukrainian losses are probably more than 100,000 dead and wounded. In addition, there are about 30,000 civilians in Ukraine who died in this sinister war,” the Norwegian general also calculated.

The head of the US army, General Mark Milley, said in November that Russia had lost more than 100,000 soldiers in Ukraine, killed or wounded, and probably the same loss on the Ukrainian side.

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