Putin Ambassador Appears To Let Slip True Extent Of Russian Losses In Ukraine

Russia's Ambassador to the UK Andrei KelinVladimir Putin’s ambassador to the UK may have just let slip how many troops Russia has lost in Ukraine.Moscow has been exceptionally tight-lipped about its casualty rate in Ukraine since invading back in February 2022.The UK estimates that Russian forces have endured around a million losses, injuries and deaths, since the war began.While ambassador Andrei Kelin dismissed that figure when speaking to CNN – and insisted he would not “speak about casualties” – the numbers he did provide painted a picture about the reality of Russia’s losses.Kelin did tell CNN that “about 600,000” Russian troops were currently fighting in Ukraine.That’s a notable decrease compared to last June, when Putin claimed that he has 700,000 soldiers in Ukraine.And when asked about Russian army recruitment, Kelin said: “I’m not a specialist in this area, but as I understand it we have 50-60,000 a month, those volunteers who are coming, recruiting, posting and they would like to get engaged in this thing [in Ukraine].”If his numbers are accurate, that would mean at least 250,000 extra recruits have been sent to fight in Ukraine just since the start of the year.That number aligns closely with the Russia’s estimated losses over the last six months.As the Kyiv Independent reported, Ukraine’s General Staff believes Russia has lost 217,440 troops since January 1, 2025.Kelin also repeatedly insisted that Russia’s conflict with Ukraine is not a “war”.The Kremlin has called its invasion of Ukraine a “special military operation” ever since it began.He said: “War is being done with the full capacity of a state, it needs to provide 40% of its national income. For this war, that is not the case.“We have about 5 to 7% of our budget which is allocated to the war.“We have a much smaller army than Ukraine which is engaged [in fighting],” he claimed, saying that Russia has just 600,000 troops compared to the one million in Ukraine.Zelenskyy claimed at the start of this year there were 880,000 Ukrainian troops fighting against 600,000 Russians.Putin has often been accused of using “meat-grinder” tactics to push his soldiers forwards with deadly offensives.Despite the high rate of attrition within Russian ranks, Moscow has so far refused to commit to any kind of sustained ceasefire with Ukraine. Even when US president Donald Trump offered to resolve the war on terms favourable to Moscow – and even let Russia keep occupied Ukrainian territory – Putin has only dragged his heels.Related...Russia Offers UK Unsolicited Advice While Claiming New Sanctions 'Reek Of Inertia'US Embassy Says What Trump Won't After Russia's Most Brutal Ukraine Attack YetDemand For Artificial Limbs In Russia Soars Amid Major Putin 'Failure', UK Says

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