The daily and weekly death toll of Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine continues to rise rapidly, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry claims. More than 5,000 Russian soldiers have died in the past week alone, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said.
As the war rapidly nears its one-year mark next month, the estimated death toll in Russia continues to rise week by week. Since the war began in late February 2022, more than 125,000 Russian soldiers have died.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that another 800 Russian soldiers had been killed the previous day, bringing the estimated total to 125,510. According to the ministry, there have been 5,350 deaths in the past seven days. Here are those numbers:
January 22: 600
January 23: 720
January 24: 690
January 25: 910
January 26: 780
January 27: 850
January 28: 800
That’s just over 764 Russian casualties a day for the past week. In addition, the previous day Russia lost seven tanks, eight other artillery vehicles, six drones and 26 other vehicle and fuel tanks.
A procession carries the coffin of Ukrainian soldier Sergiy Sochenko to the cemetery at his funeral January 28, 2023 outside Rohoziv, Ukraine. The 48-year-old soldier was killed in fighting in the Donetsk district and leaves behind a wife and child. Russia has lost more than 125,000 soldiers since the war began almost a year ago. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine surpassed the 11-month mark just this week. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 (2022) but failed to capture the capital Kyiv as it was pushed back by Ukrainian militants. Ukrainian fighters have also put up a steadfast defense in northern cities like Kharkiv, where they have pushed back Russian troops towards the nearby border.
Russia has shifted its focus to eastern and southern Ukraine despite suffering many casualties in the war, now in its 12th month. This includes a strong presence in the Black Sea.
Russia reportedly has three ships in the Black Sea capable of launching the Kalibr cruise missiles. The Kyiv Independent states that these ships have 20 such missiles on board and that 16 Russian warships are stationed in the Black Sea, ready to attack at any moment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has successfully obtained a number of tanks and some air defense systems from Western allies that are set to arrive soon, and has now reportedly asked the West for fighter jets.
Ukraine is looking for more support to protect itself from things like Kh-22 missiles that destroyed Dnipro two weeks ago.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said it was Russia’s 52nd Guards Bomber Regiment.
“According to preliminary information, the Kh-22 missile was deployed. This type of missile results in the greatest human casualties because the missile is extremely inaccurate, has enormous deviation. Therefore, using such weapons on targets in densely populated areas is clearly a war crime,” Ukraine’s bureau said in a Telegram post. “This type of missile was used in Sergiivka and Kremenchuk. It can be launched by a single Russian unit – the 52nd Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment.”
The Kh-22 missiles were largely responsible for the massive destruction and death of Dnipro in disputed eastern Ukraine on Saturday, where Russia has already occupied many areas and is fighting to save that area.
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.