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Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

100,000 Russians Dead: Putin Has Turned Ukraine Into a Giant Graveyard

ATACMS like Ukraine wants firing back in 2006. Image Credit: U.S. Army.
ATACMS firing back in 2006. Image Credit: U.S. Army.

The war in Ukraine rages on: The Russian military has lost more than 100,000 men killed in Ukraine on the 302nd day of the war, according to the official Ukrainian numbers.

It is no secret that the Russian campaign is failing. Almost ten months into the war, the Russian forces haven’t achieved any of their primary objectives. Moscow has had to repeatedly reappraise its goals, moving the goalposts to reflect the limited capabilities of the Russian military.

But the war isn’t over yet. As the winter sets in, the Russian forces are preparing for another offensive in an attempt to stop the Ukrainian momentum, regain the strategic initiative, and coerce Kyiv into making concessions

Zelensky in D.C.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky completed his lighting visit to the U.S. after addressing a joint session of Congress. Zelensky’s main goal in his visit was to ensure that U.S. support kept coming. The Ukrainian delegation also asked for more advanced weapon systems that would keep the Ukrainian momentum on the ground and prevent a stalemate, which would mainly benefit Russia right now.  

The White House didn’t acquiesce to Kyiv’s weapon list demands, but it did greenlight a $1.85 billion package of security aid, which includes a battery of MIM-104 Patriot air defense weapon system.

The Ukrainian leader stood at the delivery of the MIM-104 Patriot, which is aimed to help Ukraine defend its critical infrastructure and cities. 

“This is an important step in creating an effective air shield for Ukraine. This is the only way we will deprive the terrorist state of its main instrument of terror – the ability to attack our cities, our energy, and our people,” Zelensky stated.

The Russian Casualties In Ukraine: Update

The Russian forces continue to suffer extremely heavy losses on the ground. Over the past ten days, the Russian military has been averaging around 450-500 troops killed every day. The influx of tens of thousands of mobilized reservists means that the Russian forces can sustain that level of attrition for the time being.

Overall, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claimed that as of Thursday, Ukrainian forces have killed approximately 100,400 Russian troops (and wounded approximately twice to thrice that number), destroyed 283 fighter, attack, bomber, and transport jets, 267 attack and transport helicopters, 3,003 tanks, 1,978 artillery pieces, 5,981 armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, 413 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), 16 boats and cutters, 4,615 vehicles and fuel tanks, 211 anti-aircraft batteries, 1,693 tactical unmanned aerial systems, 178 special equipment platforms, such as bridging vehicles, and four mobile Iskander ballistic missile systems, and 653 cruise missiles shot down by the Ukrainian air defenses. 

As we have previously written on 19FortyFive, these numbers are the official Ukrainian claims and aren’t the same as those Western militaries and intelligence services occasionally put out.

That is not to say that the Ukrainians are necessarily lying. Independent casualty reports, especially the Oryx open-source investigation site that relies on visual evidence to account for battlefield losses, support some of the Ukrainian claims to a large degree. 

Expert Biography: A 19FortyFive Defense and National Security Columnist, Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. His work has been featured in Business InsiderSandboxx, and SOFREP.

1945’s Defense and National Security Columnist, Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist with specialized expertise in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

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