According to the latest assessment by Britain’s Ministry of Defence, Russia this month has reached a level of troop losses comparable to the first days of the invasion and four times higher than in the summer due to a number of factors.

The analysis comes after the Ukrainian military estimated that 1,140 Russian soldiers were “liquidated” on Friday, a new daily record in the war launched by Vladimir Putin. The previous “record” was set on Monday, when the Russian army lost 1,030 soldiers.

What the British say about Russia’s losses:

• “Over the past two weeks, Russia has suffered almost the largest human casualties since the first week of the invasion of Ukraine.
• The General Staff of Ukraine publishes daily statistics of Russian casualties. While DOD cannot verify Ukraine’s methodology, the trends illustrated by the data are likely accurate.
• The average figure for the last seven days was 824 victims per day, which is four times more than in June-July 2022. Ukraine also continues to suffer from a high level of losses.
• The increase in Russian casualties is probably due to a number of factors, including a lack of trained personnel, coordination and resources at the front, and this is confirmed by what happened in Vugledar and Bakhmut.”

Bakhmut and Vugledar are mentioned because they are among the hottest spots on the front, and Vladimir Putin’s forces have suffered huge losses in men and equipment there.

Chief Wagner said that “it is still too early to say that we are close to conquering Bakhmut”, Yevgeny Prigozhin emphasized that this is a “shredder” for soldiers.

It should also be noted that the Russians tried to advance in the Vugledar area, but would have suffered a heavy blow: they probably lost dozens of armored vehicles and many soldiers during the failed attack.