The number of Russian soldiers killed since President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine could now be as high as 20,000, according to the latest assessment by western officials, Report informs referring to The Guardian.
“On Russian fatalities, our figure is between 15,000 and 20,000 dead. That is a change from our previous figure that we have been talking about in excess of 15,000 before,” one western official said.
The official, who does not want to be named, stressed that it was difficult to be more precise about the casualty figures. They did not speculate on the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war.
The official said both sides “face the same challenge”, adding: “They are 100 plus days into a bitter conflict with significant fatalities and casualties on both sides. They will of course be facing morale issues.
But the Ukrainians are fighting for their homeland and they are in largely well dug-in defensive positions so they have the advantage over Russians in that regard.”