As of: February 16, 2024, 5:04 a.m
By: Babett Gumbrecht
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Ukrainian soldiers ride a Leopard 2 tank in the Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine (symbolic image).
© Funke Photo Services/IMAGO
Around 15,000 Ukrainian tanks are said to have been destroyed since the start of the war.
And the losses continue – on both sides.
Reason: difficult fighting in eastern Ukraine.
Moscow – It is a bitter interim result: 15,000 Ukrainian tanks and other armored vehicles are said to have been destroyed in the war between Moscow and Kiev.
And the total tally is even higher: In total, the Russian armed forces are said to have destroyed 570 combat aircraft, 266 helicopters and over 12,300 unmanned aerial vehicles, to name just a few figures.
The Russian news agency Tass
reports on the conclusion of the destruction,
citing a report from the Russian Ministry of Defense that was published on Wednesday (February 14).
Especially on the Eastern Front: Ukraine and Russia are recording losses
According to observers, the loss on Russia's side is smaller.
According to British estimates, Russia under Vladimir Putin has lost around 2,600 battle tanks since the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine.
In the 23 months since the start of the war, 4,900 more Russian armored fighting vehicles have been destroyed, the British Ministry of Defense said, citing intelligence information.
Last year, Russia lost around 40 percent fewer vehicles than in 2022. According to experts, this is probably because the war was much more static in the second year and the Russian units acted more defensively for most of the year, it said in London .
Since October 2023, Russia has been going on the offensive again in eastern Ukraine.
Since then, Russian losses have also increased.
But not the terrain winners.
Until now.
Putin's troops are gaining ground in Avdiivka and Kupyansk
The Russian Defense Ministry's report on Wednesday (February 14) states that Putin's army has taken advantage of positions in the Donetsk region in recent days.
A total of six attacks by the Ukrainian army are said to have been repelled.
The German Press Agency
(
dpa
) also
reports on Russian troops gaining ground.
The front sections near Avdiivka and Kupyansk in eastern Ukraine are particularly affected.
“The operational situation is extremely difficult and tense,” wrote the new Ukrainian commander-in-chief Olexander Syrskyj on Telegram on Wednesday (February 14).
The Russian troops are superior in terms of personnel.
In addition, the Russian Air Force is massively using guided bombs and Ukrainian positions are constantly being shelled by Russian artillery, he explained.
According to Syrskyj, Kiev is bringing in reserves to reinforce its own troops.
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Russian forces are said to have destroyed around 130 Ukrainian soldiers and an enemy tank in the Kupiansk area,
the Russian Defense Ministry said, according to
Tass .
Capture of Avdiivka of great importance for further logistical operations
The Avdiivka region is also badly affected.
For several days now, Ukrainian and Russian military observers have consistently reported a deteriorating situation for Ukrainian troops in the region.
According to
dpa
, the Ukrainian units have lost their main supply route to the half-enclosed city of Avdiivka.
This means that the remaining garrison is in acute danger of being encircled.
Supply is only possible on dirt roads over a corridor just over three kilometers wide.
Before the Russian invasion almost two years ago, the industrial city of Avdiivka still had over 30,000 inhabitants.
According to authorities, only a few hundred civilians remain in the ruins.
Street scene from the bombed-out Avdiivka (archive photo from March 2023).
© Aris Messinis/AFP
Taking Avdiivka would allow Moscow to significantly expand its logistical operations and restrict Ukraine's mobility against Russian positions in the regional capital Donetsk.
So far, the Russian offensive efforts around Avdiivka have been characterized primarily by a large loss of vehicles.
Between the start of its offensive on the city on October 10 and the end of the year, Moscow is said to have lost more than 211 vehicles around Avdiivka alone.
On the other hand, there are high losses in Ukraine.
The recently published figures from the Russian Ministry of Defense cannot be independently verified.
(
bg
/
dpa
)