Ukraine said today that the past 24 hours have been the deadliest of the entire war for Russian forces as Moscow sends tens of thousands of recruits and mercenaries into a relentless winter offensive in the east.

The Ukrainian military increased the current overnight Russian military death toll by 1,030 to 133,190 and called it the biggest increase of the entire war. He also said that his troops had destroyed 25 Russian tanks in the past two days.

The death toll has not been independently confirmed, while Moscow denies that its forces suffered casualties of this magnitude and claims to have killed large numbers of Ukrainians.

Battles in the snowy trenches

However, the unprecedented scale of reported casualties is consistent with reports from both sides, which describe the fighting in the snow-covered trenches as the deadliest of the entire war, despite little progress on the front on either side.

The war, which has entered its second year, is at a turning point. Moscow is trying to regain the initiative of the movements, and Kyiv is insisting on Western tanks for its own counterattack.

After failing to take Kyiv last year and losing ground in the second half of 2022, Moscow is now using hundreds of thousands of troops called up in recent months for its first mobilization since World War II.

Kyiv and the West say Russia has moved more troops into eastern Ukraine in recent weeks in the hope it can announce new gains on the first anniversary of its invasion.

Over the past few weeks, Russia has shown the first results in six months. Progress is gradual, however, and Moscow is still capturing a major population center in its winter campaign despite thousands of dead.

Fighting has been going on for months around the Ukrainian-held town of Bakhmut in eastern Donetsk Oblast, with a pre-war population of about 75,000, which Russia is trying to encircle.

Moscow has also launched an offensive further south at Ukhledar, a Ukrainian-held bulwark at the strategic junction of the eastern and southern front lines.

UK doubts Russia’s ability to strike big

At its daily briefing, the UK Department of Defense said that the Russian military had been trying since early January to resume major offensives to seize parts of the Donetsk region controlled by Ukraine, but had so far achieved little.

The Russians “lack the ammunition and maneuverable units needed for a successful attack,” the British Ministry of Defense said. “Russian officials are likely to continue demanding radical progress. It is unlikely that Russia will be able to muster the forces necessary to effectively influence the outcome of the war in the coming weeks.”

Ukrainian officials say Moscow could stockpile weapons and supplies for an even bigger strike in the coming weeks. The Ukrainian governor of the Luhansk region predicted a major Russian offensive in the region, which could begin around February 15th.

New threats to Shoigu

At the same time, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Russian media that the United States and its allies are trying to drag out the conflict in Ukraine as long as possible.

He added that NATO involvement in Ukraine could lead to “unforeseen escalation.”

Source: Reuters.