ANKARA – Ukraine on Monday morning claimed that Russian material and troop losses continue to soar. At least 19,500 Russian soldiers have so far been killed in the war that started on Feb. 24 with the Russian attack on Ukraine, said the Ukrainian General Staff in a statement on Face book.
Ukrainian forces have destroyed 154 Russian aircraft, 137 helicopters, 119 unmanned aerial vehicles, 725 tanks, 1,923 armored vehicles, and 347 artillery systems, the statement added. Furthermore, the Russian forces also lost 111 multiple rocket launcher systems, 1,387 various motor vehicles, 76 fuel tanks, 55 anti-aircraft systems, and four short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) systems, according to the statement.
Russia’s war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the European Union, US, and the UK, among others, implementing stringent economic penalties on Moscow. At least 1,793 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 2,439 injured, according to estimates by the UN, which noted that the true figure is likely far higher.
More than 4.5 million Ukrainians have also fled to several European countries, with millions more displaced inside the country, according to the UN refugee agency.
Another 45,000 Ukrainians flee: UN
Nearly 45,000 more Ukrainian refugees fled in 24 hours, the United Nations said Monday, although many were trapped in their regions or were staying put hoping the war will end soon.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR said 4,547,735 Ukrainians had fled the country since the Russian invasion on February 24 — a figure up 44,781 on Sunday’s update.
It is Europe’s fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II. Women and children account for 90 percent of those who have left the country, with men aged 18 to 60 eligible for military call-up and unable to leave.