According to NATO estimates, between 7,000 and 15,000 Russian soldiers have died in the invasion of Ukraine. The figure is considerably higher than the 498 deaths that Moscow has officially confirmed.
A senior defence official added on Wednesday that these figures are provided by Ukrainian and Russian authorities and independent intelligence services, a senior defence official said on Wednesday.
He added that NATO also takes into account what Russia unwittingly discloses. “In war, mistakes are made,” he added.
As per the reports, thousands of Russian soldiers had died fighting in Ukraine. The article, quoting the Russian Defence Ministry, reported that 9,861 soldiers had been killed since the start of the war.
That article has since disappeared, and a journalist from the outlet claimed that the site had been hacked at a Kremlin press conference.
Around 7,000 Russian soldiers had died within the first 20 days of the war. A more accurate estimation of the number of expired soldiers on each side remains impossible to obtain.
A senior NATO military official said the estimate was based on information from Ukrainian officials, what Russia has released – intentionally or not – and intelligence gathered from open sources. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by NATO.
Zelenskyy, speaking Tuesday in his nightly video address to his nation, said efforts to establish humanitarian corridors for Mariupol residents are almost all being “foiled by the Russian occupiers, by shelling or deliberate terror.”
He accused Russian forces of seizing one humanitarian convoy. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said the Russians were holding captive 11 bus drivers and four rescue workers along with their vehicles.
