Putin lost more than 70,000 troops in just 60 days, says British intelligence
Russia lost more than 70,000 troops in the past two months in its bid to capture Kharkiv, according to the latest estimates from the MoD.
British intelligence suggests average daily Russian casualties (killed and wounded) in Ukraine throughout May and June 2024 increased to conflict highs of 1,262 and 1,163 respectively, the MoD said on Friday.
“In total, Russia likely lost (killed and wounded) in excess of 70,000 personnel over the past two months,” the MoD said. The losses for Vladimir Putin’s troops coincide with Russian attempts to open up a new front along the battlefield in the Kharkiv region.
It added that Russia’s casualty rate will likely continue to average above 1,000 a day over the next two months as Russia continues to try to overmatch Ukrainian positions with mass.
“The uptick in losses reflects Russia’s opening of the new front in the Kharkiv region, while maintaining the same rate of offensive operations along the remainder of the front,” the MoD said in its assessment.
Volodymyr Zelensky said last month that the ratio of losses in Kharkiv has been one Ukrainian soldier to six Russians.