The Ukrainian military is preparing for its upcoming large-scale offensive, training men and pilling weapon systems.
Meanwhile, the Russian military continues to lose men and weapon systems on the ground.
On day 423 of the war in Ukraine, the situation remains a war of attrition.
Russian Casualties
The Russian forces continue to suffer a steady rate of casualties on the ground.
Over the past 24 hours, the Russian military and Wagner Group private military company lost 700 men killed or wounded. In addition, the Russian forces lost 25 tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, artillery pieces, and other heavy weapon systems and vehicles. This steady attrition adds up.
Indeed, over the last 72 hours, the Russian forces have lost approximately 2,000 men killed or wounded. They have also lost 82 heavy weapon systems and vehicles.
Overall, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claimed that as of Sunday, Ukrainian forces have killed and wounded approximately 186,420 Russian troops.
Destroyed equipment includes: 308 fighter, attack, bomber, and transport jets, 294 attack and transport helicopters, 3,675 tanks, 2,837 artillery pieces, 7,031 armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles, 539 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), 18 boats and cutters, 5,730 vehicles and fuel tanks, 289 anti-aircraft batteries, 2,402 tactical unmanned aerial systems, 339 special equipment platforms, such as bridging vehicles, and four mobile Iskander ballistic missile systems, and 911 cruise missiles shot down by the Ukrainian air defenses.
Training the Ukrainian Military
The Ukrainian military is gearing up for its large-scale counteroffensive. Kyiv has hinted that the offensive will take place sometime in the next few weeks, probably at the end of May or the start of June.
The Ukrainian leadership is betting a lot on this counteroffensive. Although it is extremely unlikely that it will end the war, a successful offensive could reshape the battlefield and increase the likelihood of an overall Ukrainian victory. Kyiv also wants a victory to revitalize international support to its cause. The current war of attrition has toned down interest—crucial for military and financial support—to the Ukrainian fight.
Combined arms warfare, the combination of armor, infantry, artillery, airpower, and other combat arms, will be crucial in the Ukrainian counteroffensive. But that requires substantial training to pull off. Ukrainian troops have been undergoing training in the United Kingdom and Germany.
On Friday, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley provided some insight on the specific numbers of Ukrainian troops in training.
“There is about 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers conducting training right now in Germany. Another 8,800, almost 9,000 have completed training and have returned to Ukraine. And there are 65 Ukrainians that completed training on Patriot missile systems just recently,” Gen. Milley said.
“Unlike the Ukrainian forces who are highly motivated to fight for their country, to fight for their freedom, their democracy and their way of life, the Russians lack in leadership, they lack will, the morale is poor, and their discipline is eroding,” Milley added.
On the other side, the Russian forces are just trying to make do with what they have.
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.
