Russian invasion
BBC: More than 50,000 Russian casualties counted in Ukraine
Graves of fallen soldiers in a cemetery. photo
© Libkos/AP/dpa
According to an analysis by the British broadcaster BBC, the number of confirmed Russian casualties in the Ukraine war is now over 50,000. Experts see “meat grinder” tactics as one reason.
The number of confirmed Russian casualties in the war against Ukraine is an analysis by the British broadcaster According to the BBC, it is now more than 50,000. This comes from counts by the Russian-speaking BBC editorial team, the independent media group Mediazona and volunteers, according to a BBC report published on Wednesday. However, according to Western estimates, the actual number is likely to be more than twice as high because many deaths cannot be confirmed.
Satellite images of cemeteries, some of which were verified with images and videos from the ground, official reports, newspapers and social media were evaluated. The deaths among the pro-Russian fighters from the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk occupied by Moscow were not counted. According to the BBC report, there is no current official figure on the extent of Russian losses.
“Meat grinder” tactics are a reason for high losses
According to experts, one of the reasons for the high losses of the Russian invasion troops in Ukraine is a so-called “meat grinder” tactic, in which the enemy lines are to be overrun with large numbers of attackers. However, this turned out to be very costly and brought only small territorial gains.
According to Kiev, Ukraine lost 31,000 soldiers by February of this year. However, according to US intelligence agencies, the true number is likely to be higher, the BBC report said.