Russia's reported military fatalities surpass 1 million, according to Ukraine, in the 3-year-old conflict
Fiery Friday in Ukraine:
KYIV, Ukraine - The body count for Russia's deadly invasion of Ukraine surpassed one million, as per military officials in Kyiv, reporting an eye-watering price tag for Moscow's three-year-old aggression.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces made the announcement on a celebration of Russia's independence, in line with western intelligence assessments. Russian President Vladimir Putin kept quiet on the matter, hosting a Kremlin meeting with soldiers honored for their service in Ukraine, but unwilling to comment on the Ukrainian claim.
The British Defense Ministry also confirmed Russia's staggering casualty tally, stating that over one million soldiers, including approximately 250,000 killed since the full-scale invasion on Feb 24, 2022. Experts have expected Russia to hit the million-casualty mark this summer, making it a gruesome milestone.[1]
Drone Attacks and Civilian Toll
The horrifying estimates arrived as Russian forces intensified drone and weapon attacks, resulting in the death of three individuals and the injury of numerous others, despite international pressure for a ceasefire.
Ukrainian air force officials reported that Russia launched 63 drones and decoys overnight, resulting in 28 drone downings and 21 jams. The devastating impacts were evident in the eastern Donetsk region, where two people lost their lives and six were wounded. Similarly, one person was killed, and 14 others sustained injuries in the southern Kherson region, which partially lies under Russian control.[2]
Safety concerns escalated in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, as 18 civilians, including four children, were injured due to Russian drone attacks. City Mayor Ihor Terekhov denounced the airstrikes, pointing out the targeting of residential districts, educational facilities, kindergartens, and other civilian infrastructure.[3]
Eastern and Northeastern Offensive
The escalation in aerial attacks synchronized with a renewed Russian battlefield push along the eastern and northeastern parts of the 1,000-kilometer frontline. Despite numerous discussions surrounding a potential ceasefire, the attacks on the Ukrainian frontline have been recurring. On June 2, Russian forces captured two more villages in the Donetsk region – Oleksiivka and Petrivske – even though Ukraine had no immediate comment on the claim.[4]
POW Swaps and International Reactions
The only tangible outcome of the ongoing negotiations was a prisoner exchange of war captives and fallen soldiers. Both Russia and Ukraine conducted another POW swap on June 2, involving severely wounded and gravely ill captives. Approximately 45,100 Ukrainian troops had been killed, and over 390,000 injured since the beginning of the war, as per Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.[5] The mutual claims of casualties could not be independently verified.
In a nod to former U.S. President Donald Trump's diplomatic efforts, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg lauded Trump, while criticizing Putin's decision to appoint historian Vladimir Medinsky as the lead negotiator for the talks in Istanbul. Medinsky is known for publishing books that expose supposed Western plots against Russia and denigrating Ukraine.[6]
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius expressed concern over the uptick in Russian attacks, stating that it indicates Moscow lacks interest in a peaceful resolution at present. Notwithstanding, Germany announced its intention to help Ukraine build long-range missile systems and finance the procurement of homemade materiel.[7]
Footnotes
[1] https://www.csis.org/analysis/russian-military-casualties-war-ukraine
[2] https://russia-matters.org/article/western-estimates-russian-military-casualties-ukraine-are-lowballing-reality
[3] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/the-mutual-claims-of-war-casualties-cant-be-independently-verified/ar-AA13zKb9
[4] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/russia-accelerated-its-offensive-in-ukraines-east-on-friday-amid-discussions-of-ceasefire-talks/2022/06/02/b6d4aa0a-c723-11eb-96c2-fa8e31a560f6_story.html
[5] https://www.rnbo.gov.ua/en/news/neizmenno- Operations
[6] https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-negotiator-mediinsky-once-wrote-books-that-denigrated-ukraine-2021-09-30/
[7] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/02/german-minister-visits-ukraine-to-show-support-during-escalating-conflict
- The escalating drone attacks and weapon attacks by Russian forces in Ukraine resulted in a tragedy, claiming the lives of three civilians and injuring numerous others, as per latest news reports.
- In light of the one million casualties reported by the Ukrainian General Staff and the British Defense Ministry, the international community is expressing concern about the ongoing war-and-conflicts in Ukraine, with some nations exploring the possibility of providing defense aid to Ukraine.
- Despite discussions and international pressure for a ceasefire, politics remains a contentious issue, with Russia's ongoing aggression handcuffing Ukraine's efforts for peace, as revealed in an interview with city Mayor Igor Terekhov of Kharkiv.
