The losses of Ukrainian troops since the beginning of their "counteroffensive" amounted to more than 43,000 people in June and July alone, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.
The Defense Ministry specified that the figure did not include the wounded evacuated to Ukrainian and foreign hospitals, foreign mercenaries, or soldiers eliminated due to high-precision weapons strikes in rear areas.
The ministry added that Kiev had lost over 4,900 weapons, including 1,831 armored vehicles, including 25 German Leopard tanks, since the beginning of the counteroffensive.
"More than 4,900 units of various weapons of Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed on the frontline, including 26 aircraft, nine helicopters, 1,831 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, with 25 German Leopard tanks, seven French AMX wheeled tanks and 21 US Bradley IFVs," the authorities said.
In addition, the ministry specified, the enemy lost 747 field artillery guns and mortars, including 76 US M777 artillery systems, as well as 84 self-propelled artillery units from Poland, the United States, France and Germany.
The ministry noted that the Russian Armed Forces had repelled eight enemy attacks near the city of Donetsk, launched a counterattack in two areas took more advantageous positions, the losses of Ukrainian troops amounted to 185 soldiers.
In Zaporozhye, Russian troops repelled a Ukrainian army attack near the Rabotino settlement, Kiev lost more than 130 troops and three IFVs, including a Bradley fighting vehicle.
The Ukrainian counteroffensive in the South Donetsk, Artemovsk (Bakhmut) and Zaporozhye regions began on June 4.
Kiev threw into battle NATO-trained brigades armed with Western equipment, including the much-touted Leopard tanks - footage of the vehicles smoking on the battlefield later caused a stir in the West.
On July 21, Putin stated that the Ukrainian troops' offensive has proved fruitless, while Kiev's "Western curators are obviously disappointed" with the progress of this operation.
The president noted that "neither the colossal resources pumped in, nor the supply of weapons, tanks, artillery, armored vehicles, missiles, nor the deployment of thousands of mercenaries and advisers" are helping Kiev.