U.S. puts Russian casualties in and around Bakhmut at 100,000
The United States has indicated that, on the basis of the data they handle, Russia would have suffered about 100,000 casualties, including regular soldiers and mercenaries. of the Wagner Group, since December alone in and around Bajmut.
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has stressed that this “staggering” figure – although Washington includes in casualties both killed and wounded – is a sign that the Russian offensive in the Donbas region, where Bajmut is located, has “failed”.
Kirby has pointed out that “nearly half” of these casualties were in Wagner’s mercenary ranksIn recent months, he has been at odds with the Kremlin’s military high command, which he accuses of not supplying the necessary equipment and ammunition to keep him in combat.
Thus, has described the figure of 94 casualties as “ridiculous”. that Wagner’s leader, Yevgeni Prigozhin, said his group had suffered so far. On the other hand, he has ruled out giving any balance on casualties on the Ukrainian side, as it is up to Kiev to give such information and not to Washington.
“Russia is the aggressor and I am not going to give information publicly which, once again, will make things more difficult. for the Ukrainians (…) I don’t need to abide by the same sense of courtesy towards the Russians, I haven’t done it and I’m not going to start doing it now,” Kirby concluded.
Finally, Kirby stressed that “most” of the efforts of the Russian side to take control of Bajmut have not only “stalled,” but have “failed.” and that they have only achieved spaces with “very little strategic value”.
“The conclusion Is that Russia’s attempted offensive has failed. After months of fighting and extraordinary losses, Russia remains focused on a single Ukrainian city with limited strategic value,” he has explained.
