Russian Ukraine misery: up to 50,000 soldiers out of action?

An expert even rants on state TV

Created: 05/19/2022, 10:54 am

By: Leonie Hudelmaier

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

© Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP

In Mariupol, Russia takes hundreds of Ukrainian militants captive.

But overall, the war is apparently taking a devastating course for Putin.

According to Russian sources, 1,730 Ukrainian fighters from the besieged Azovstal steelworks have surrendered in the Ukrainian port of Mariupol since the beginning of the week.

This was announced by the Ministry of Defense in Moscow.

In the past 24 hours alone, almost 770 people have been taken into Russian captivity, it said.

There was initially no confirmation from the Ukrainian side.

Soldiers in Azovstal steelworks: Kyiv hopes to exchange prisoners for Russian soldiers

Like Moscow before it, Kyiv had spoken of a little more than 260 soldiers who had been evacuated from the factory premises.

According to the information provided by both sides, more than 50 were injured among them.

Ukraine hopes to be exchanged for Russian prisoners of war, but the Russian military initially left such a step open.

How many fighters are currently still on the factory premises was unclear.

According to different estimates, there were between 1,000 and 2,500 before the evacuation began.

The last civilians had been brought to safety around a week and a half ago.

War in Ukraine: Russia's sobering record - Moscow apparently with significant resource problems

Meanwhile, Russia's record after twelve weeks of aggressive warfare against Ukraine is likely to be sobering.

Withdrawal from Kyiv and Kharkiv, destroyed Russian artillery and met tremendous resistance from the Ukrainian military.

According to the British Ministry of Defence, the Russian armed forces now also have considerable problems with supplies and troop reinforcements.

That is why it is even necessary to resort to auxiliary troops.

Putin is relying on thousands of fighters from the autonomous republic of Chechnya.

"The combat use of such diverse personnel shows Russia's considerable resource problems," a statement from London said.

This arguably contributes to inconsistent command - which would further hamper the Russian invasion.

The ten-week battle for Mariupol is also said to have led to high losses for the Russian armed forces.

But Russia is noticeably tight-lipped about its own losses.

On March 25, Moscow reported 1,351 dead soldiers.

Since then there has been silence.

The Ukrainian government speaks of 27,000 dead Russian forces.

Although Western experts say the number is too high, they assume that it is now more than the 15,000 Soviet soldiers killed during the ten-year occupation of Afghanistan.

According to the British Ministry of Defense, Russia has already lost a third of the troops provided for the Ukraine war - that would mean the loss of around 50,000 soldiers through death or injury.

EU prepares further sanctions against Moscow: Lavrov downplays NATO expansion

Meanwhile, the European Union is putting together joint sanctions packages that are likely to hit Russia hard, and the NATO military alliance is growing.

But instead of issuing new threats, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov downplayed the two countries' planned NATO membership.

Since Finland and Sweden have already participated in many NATO exercises, it "probably doesn't make a big difference".

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Military expert sees “game changer”

Meanwhile, a military expert surprised viewers of a talk show on Russian state television with a pessimistic assessment of the war in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian armed forces are far from disintegrating and Russia is isolated in the world, said Mikhail Khodaryonok - much to the presenter's displeasure

At the same time, there are repeated rumors of a coup against Vladimir Putin.

The head of the Ukrainian secret service, Kyrylo Budanov, told the British broadcaster Sky: "They are moving towards it, nothing will stop them." There is no evidence of this.