WASHINGTON – The White House on Monday estimated that Russia’s navy has suffered 100,000 casualties within the final 5 months in preventing within the Bakhmut area and different areas of Ukraine.
White House nationwide safety spokesperson John Kirby instructed reporters the determine, based mostly on US intelligence estimates, included greater than 20,000 useless, half of them from the Wagner mercenary group, which incorporates convicts launched from jail to affix the preventing.
“Russia’s attempt at a winter offensive in the Donbas largely through Bakhmut has failed,” Kirby mentioned.
“Last December, Russia initiated a broad offensive across multiple lines of advance, including toward Vuhledar, Avdiivka, Bakhmut, and Kreminna. Most of these efforts stalled and failed. Russia has been unable to seize any strategically significant territory.”
He mentioned the Russians have made some incremental positive aspects in Bakhmut however that this has come at a “terrible, terrible cost” and that Ukraine’s defenses within the area stay robust.
“Russia has exhausted its military stockpiles and its armed forces,” Kirby mentioned.
Most of the Wagner mercenary group’s troopers had been “Russian convicts thrown into combat in Bakhmut without sufficient combat or training, combat leadership, or any sense of organizational command and control”, he mentioned.
“It’s really stunning, these numbers,” Kirby added, saying the full is thrice the variety of American casualties within the Guadalcanal marketing campaign in World War Two.
Kirby mentioned one other US weapons package deal for Ukraine can be introduced quickly. —Reuters
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
