Russia estimates more than 215,000 casualties in the Ukrainian army in 2023

“A concentration of Russian troops methodically reduces the combat potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Last year, the enemy lost more than 215,000 men and 28,000 weapons,” said Shoigu, quoted by Spanish agency EFE.

Ukraine attributes more than 365,000 casualties to the Russian side since the start of the war in 2022, according to data published on the Ministry of Defense’s website.

The figures released by both parties cannot be independently verified.

At the meeting with the military leadership, Shoigu accused Kiev of continuing to send soldiers to their deaths at the behest of “Western sponsors” and looking for any possibility of filling the ranks of the Ukrainian army.

“This will certainly not change the situation on the front line, but will only prolong the conflict,” he said.

The minister also accused the United States of trying to “achieve global leadership ambitions at the cost of Ukrainian lives.”

Shoigu said that, in 2024, the ministry will maintain nuclear combat readiness at the highest level, form a line of serial ‘drones’, introduce modern weapons and increase the capabilities of the satellite constellation.

“We will continue to equip the army and navy with the most modern weapons, including those based on artificial intelligence technologies and new physical principles,” he added, quoted by the Russian agency TASS.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, triggering a war that has now entered its third calendar year and whose outcome remains unpredictable.

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