Topline
A Russian tabloid newspaper on Monday published and subsequently deleted a report claiming nearly 10,000 Russian soldiers had died since the country first invaded Ukraine last month—a far greater number than the 498 deaths acknowledged by the Russian Ministry of Defense three weeks ago, and one that more closely aligns with third party estimates, as Russia remains tight-lipped about its military losses.
A destroyed tank is seen after battles between Ukrainian and Russian forces on a main road near … [+]
Key Facts
The pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda published an article Monday claiming 9,861 members of the Russian armed forces had been killed and another 16,153 had been injured, citing the Russian Ministry of Defense, according to an archived version of the article and screenshots from Wall Street Journal and ABC News reporters.
The figure was not formally released by the Ministry of Defense, which has been secretive about casualty counts and last released an official estimate on March 2, when it claimed 498 troops had been killed and 1,597 had been wounded, according to Reuters.
The paragraph containing the figure no longer appeared in an article on Komsomolskaya Pravda’s website as of Monday evening.
Western and Ukrainian sources think Russia’s casualty count is far larger than the numbers published by the Russian government: U.S. intelligence conservatively estimated 7,000 of the roughly 150,000 Russian troops deployed in Ukraine had died as of March 16, according to the New York Times.
Ukraine claimed Monday about 15,000 Russian troops had been killed, though this figure has not been confirmed by any independent party.
Big Number
1,300. That’s how many Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the war as of March 13, Ukrainian officials claim. That number hasn’t been independently verified.
What We Don’t Know
It’s unclear how many civilians have died. The United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights said Sunday it had confirmed at least 902 civilian deaths during the invasion, but the UN noted the true figure could be “considerably higher,” and Ukrainian authorities have reported thousands of deaths.
Key Background
Russian forces have dealt with unforeseen struggles since invading. Russia has been “surprised by the scale and ferocity of Ukrainian resistance” and has been unable to take control of Ukrainian airspace, and Ukrainian attacks on Russian military supply lines have made it difficult for Russia to distribute necessities like food and fuel, according to the British Ministry of Defense. The Times also reported based on U.S. intelligence that morale is low among Russian troops in Ukraine, with some soldiers apparently parking their vehicles and walking into the woods. CIA Director Bill Burns told lawmakers last week Russian President Vladimir Putin had hoped his forces would seize the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv within the first two days of invading—a feat he has yet to accomplish 25 days later. Western officials and military experts told the Washington Post on Sunday Russian soldiers are being killed at a faster rate than Ukrainian ones, and the casualties and equipment losses suffered by the unprepared Russian military could lead the war toward a stalemate. Amid these challenges, the Kremlin has attempted to skew narratives about the war: Outlets are banned from using the terms “invasion” or “war” when reporting on what the Kremlin has deemed a “special military operation,” and several independent outlets have been shut down entirely.
Surprising Fact
Ukraine claims at least five of Russia’s top generals have been killed in combat—an unusual occurrence for high-ranking military officials. These deaths have not been verified by the Kremlin.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/masonbissada/2022/03/21/500-or-10000-deaths-russian-media-finally-seems-to-report-dire-troop-casualty-numbers-and-then-deletes-them/