The war in Ukraine continues on day 361. Russian forces are still in search of a breakthrough in the Donbas, without any success as the Ukrainian military continues to put a stiff resistance all across the battlefield.
The Russian military has committed well over 90 percent of all its ground forces in Ukraine, according to Chairman of the Military Committee of NATO and Royal Netherlands Navy Admiral Rob Bauer.
That means that the Kremlin has almost no reserves to pull from, and it depends on further force generation methods to bolster its size and fill the gaps created by the war.
However, the Russian Ministry of Defense hasn’t been very efficient in recruiting, training, and deploying new troops.
Russian Casualties in Ukraine: Update
For yet another day, Russian forces are suffering heavy casualties on the ground in Ukraine.
Russian commanders continue to commit troops in mass frontal assaults and against Ukrainian fortifications.
Overall, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claimed that as of Sunday, Ukrainian forces have killed approximately 142,860 Russian troops (and wounded approximately twice to thrice that number)
Destroyed equipment includes: 298 fighter, attack, bomber, and transport jets, 287 attack and transport helicopters, 3,310 tanks, 2,327 artillery pieces, 6,545 armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, 469 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), 18 boats and cutters, 5,196 vehicles and fuel tanks, 243 anti-aircraft batteries, 2,016 tactical unmanned aerial systems, 224special equipment platforms, such as bridging vehicles, and four mobile Iskander ballistic missile systems, and 873 cruise missiles shot down by the Ukrainian air defenses.
Belarus and Outsourcing the War
Belarus continues to provide key support to Putin’s “special military operation.”
At first, Belarus provided territory for the Russian push toward the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Later in the war, Belarus allowed Russian troops to come into the country and receive training from the Belarussian military. Now, Belarus is providing material support to Moscow by producing weapon systems.
Russian defense and aerospace industry is under so much pressure that it has to outsource the production of major weapon systems to friendly countries.
After Iran, which has provided thousands of drones to Russia, Belarus is ready to manufacture fighter aircraft for the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Friday after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country’s aerospace industry is ready to work with its Russian counterpart to manufacture Su-25 Frogfoot attack jets from the Russian military.
However, Lukashenko has repeatedly refused to directly enter the war with his forces in support of Russia.
The Belarussian leader most likely understands that such a move would be his undoing as the Belarussian people have been largely against the conflict, with even several instances of sabotage against Russian units and the transportation infrastructure that moves them.
“The Kremlin’s gains in Belarus underscore that Putin’s imperialistic ambitions transcend Ukraine and that containing the Russian threat requires the West’s sustained attention,” the Institute for the Study of War recently assessed.
Like Russia, Belarus has been heavily sanctioned by the West for its direct and indirect support of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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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 Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
