More than 500,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to the Chief of the General Staff of the United Kingdom's Armed Forces, Richard Knighton. This number is part of a total of 1.5 million Russian casualties. The British figures broadly coincide with those published by the Ukrainian armed forces. Russia has also lost more than 10,000 armored vehicles, approximately three thousand air defense and artillery systems, and more than 370 aircraft and helicopters.
The Russian army, despite being larger, is struggling to advance on the battlefield, with the pace of progress slowing significantly this year. There was no immediate comment from the Russian authorities, who, like Kyiv, do not provide regular updates on their battlefield losses.
Ukraine launched a major long-range drone offensive during the night from Thursday to Friday, with the Russian Ministry of Defense stating that air defenses intercepted 777 Ukrainian drones in 16 Russian regions. Ukrainian forces struck an oil refinery in the Saratov region, causing a fire, and the logistics facilities of the online retail company Ozon in the same city were also hit. In the Tula region, south of Moscow, two people died and three were injured during a drone attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the long-range attacks hit eight Russian regions, including a company and a petroleum industry facility in the Saratov region, with the aim of reducing Russia's capacity to wage a war. The attacks caused fuel shortages in Russia, which is importing fuel from South Korea and India, with Russian petroleum product exports reaching historic lows in August.
