Shoigu claims over 80,000 Ukrainian losses as Russia prepares summer offensive

Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has been experiencing increasing losses, as stated by the Russian Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu. In a speech after a meeting with military leadership marked by propaganda, he highlighted that the Russian army was advancing Ukrainian forces westward.

Many reports from Russian media or representatives of the authority contain elements of propaganda. These reports are components of the informational war waged by the Russian Federation.

- Since January, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost over 80,000 soldiers and 14,000 units of various types of weaponry, including more than 1,200 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, declared Sergei Shoigu at a meeting with the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

In his speech, Shoigu claimed that after the failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive in 2023, Ukrainian forces attempted to secure positions at various sections of the front, a strategy that proved unsuccessful.

In February, Russia marked its first victory in nine months by capturing Avdiivka in the Donetsk region in the east of Ukraine. Shoigu now says Russian soldiers "continue to advance Ukrainian units" westward.

The American Institute for the Study of War has noted that Russian forces have recently moved west and southwest of Avdiivka. Geolocation recordings show, for instance, that soldiers of the Russian 9th Motor Rifle Brigade have reached the western edges of the village of Vodyane, southwest of Avdiivka.

- If the Russians achieve a strategic breakthrough, they will face a vacuum in operational depth. They will be able to advance far and deep. This represents the most significant threat, the worst-case scenario, explained to Virtual Poland Gen. Roman Polko.

The British weekly "The Economist" reports that Russians are gearing up for an offensive, expected to start with the arrival of summer. The front-line situation is already exceedingly difficult for Ukrainians.

Source: RIA, PAP