Up to 15,000 Russian troops dead in Ukraine, Nato says
- The figures represent the alliance’s first public estimate of Russian casualties since the war began
- Nato is moving to expand its forces in Eastern Europe and help Ukraine counter chemical or biological attacks
Nato estimated on Wednesday that 7,000 to 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in four weeks of war in Ukraine, where fierce resistance from the country’s defenders has denied Moscow the lightning victory it sought.
By way of comparison, Russia lost about 15,000 troops over 10 years in Afghanistan.
A senior Nato military official said the alliance’s estimate was based on information from Ukrainian authorities, what Russia has released – intentionally or not – and intelligence gathered from open sources. The official spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by Nato.
Ukraine has released little information about its own military losses, and the West has not given an estimate, but President Volodymyr Zelensky said nearly two weeks ago that about 1,300 Ukrainian servicemen had been killed.
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Chinese war reporter injured in Ukraine during shelling on Mariupol front line
The Nato official said 30,000 to 40,000 Russian soldiers are estimated to have been killed or wounded. In its last update, Russia said March 2 that nearly 500 soldiers had been killed and almost 1,600 wounded.