Forty thousand Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began nearly six months ago, the Ukrainian army claimed on Wednesday.
According to a press release from Ukrainian General Staff, at least 40,070 Russian soldiers have so far been killed during the war in Ukraine. In addition, it is claimed that about 1,000 Russian soldiers were captured.
Ukrainian and allied intelligence assessments vary widely as to exactly how many Russian forces have been killed to date. But even the lowest estimates are in the thousands.
Just last week, CIA Director William Burns said that Russia has lost an estimated 15,000 troops so far in its war against Ukraine.
“I think the latest estimates from the US intelligence community would be something in the vicinity of 15,000 killed and maybe three times that wounded. So a quite significant set of losses,” he said.
He also noted that Ukrainians have suffered as well in the ongoing war.
Over 5,100 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the beginning of the war on Feb. 24 this year, according to UN figures.
At least 16 million people in Ukraine have also been forced to flee their homes, including around 9.2 million that have fled to other countries.