Russia also reportedly lost large numbers of field-grade commanders. And over the weekend, a deputy Russian Black Sea Fleet commander, Andrey Paliy, deputy Russian Black Sea Fleet commander was killed by snipers outside the besieged city of Mariupol. Paliy was set to be promoted to a one-star admiral rank.
Russia casualty numbers contested
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russian troops in Ukraine have suffered 2,870 deaths and around 3,700 injured. And claims that 572 Russian soldiers have been captured. Konashenkov says that media reports of “countless” losses among Russian troops “deliberate disinformation.”
In the meantime, Russia is not commenting on the loss of 7 high-ranking Russian commanders.
NATO estimates that Russian forces are suffering from increasingly poor morale as they incur heavy losses in the fighting. The US has estimated that 7,000 Russians have been killed, out of an invasion force of about 150,000. And Ukraine has reported that up to 14,000 Russian troops have been killed.
