Ukraine has lost 159,000 soldiers, 121 aircraft and 776 tanks since the launch of the counteroffensive on June 4, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Tuesday.
"[Since June 4,] 159,000 military personnel have been killed and wounded, 121 aircraft, 23 helicopters, 766 tanks, including 37 Leopard, 2348 armored vehicles of various classes, of which 50 Bradley [have been destroyed]. Apparently, this is why we still do not see US Abrams [tanks], delivered several months ago, on the battlefield," Shoigu told a Defense Ministry meeting.
Since the start of the military operation, Ukraine has lost up to 383,000 soldiers both killed and wounded, 14,000 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 553 aircraft and 259 helicopters, 8,500 field artillery guns and multiple launch rocket systems, the minister said.
"The mercenaries actively recruited since the beginning of the special operation have been mostly eliminated. Over 5,800 militants were killed, including 1,427 from Poland, 466 from the US and 344 from the UK," he said.
Over six months, Russian air defense shot down 1,062 NATO missiles for MLRS, operational-tactical and cruise missiles, and guided aerial bombs, he added.
Russian troops in the zone of the special military operation have begun to use air defense systems in a comprehensive manner, and the capabilities of responsiveness and range of defeat have significantly increased, Shoigu said.
He added that modern Russian equipment was tested during the special operation and proved to be superior to analogues developed by NATO countries.
Priority Targets
The Russian Armed Forces will continue a special military operation in 2024 until the tasks defined by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief are fully accomplished, the defense minister said.
He added that the main efforts in combat training in 2024 should be focused on the quality of training of newly formed units, as well as the cohesion of formations and military units.
Shoigu also ordered the Strategic Rocket Forces to complete work on putting the Sarmat strategic missile system into combat service next year.
Apart from that, Russian troops will in 2024 conduct combat training taking into account threats of further NATO expansion to the East, the defense chief said. The minister also ordered the preparation and conduct of the "Ocean-2024" strategic command and staff exercise.