The Ukrainian army has lost over 26,000 men and over 3,000 items of military hardware in its failed Spring Counter-Offensive, said Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu., including 12 US Bradley fighting vehicles and 17 German Leo II tanks.
Since the start of the Ukrainian counter-offensive on Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia June 4, Ukraine’s losses “have reached over 26,000 servicemen and 3,000 items of various pieces of armament,” Shoigu said, according to TASS.
According to the Russian Defense Minister, Russian troops destroyed 21 planes, five helicopters, 1,244 tanks and other armored vehicles, 17 German-made Leopard tanks, five AMX tanks produced by France and 12 US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles in the counter-offensive.
Shoigu claimed Russian forces eliminated 914 pieces of automotive equipment, two air defense systems, 25 multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS), 403 field artillery cannons and mortars. He said Russian air defense systems shot down 176 HIMARS rockets, 27 Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles and 483 drones of the Ukrainian armed forces.
According to Shoigu, the USA are well award of “the high efficacy of our defense lines and barrier minefields, [and the] professional work of army aviation and ground-attack aircraft who carry out pre-emptive strike at the adversary’s targets.”
#Russia #Ukraine #war 🔥
5,000 Ukrainian army trained in #Germany.
According to Forbes, in just 1 hour Kiev army lost almost 1/5 of their Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 1/5 of their Leopard 2 tanks and 1/2 of their Leopard mine-clearing tanks -that’s a lotta damage. pic.twitter.com/q8PQz4hCOJ— Mahmood Khan (@Mahmood88239370) July 8, 2023
According to sources, Russia’s heavy use of land mines is the main reasion the much-awaited Ukrainian offensive hit a brick wall. Battefield images seemed to show U.S. Bradley Fighting Vehicles and German Leopard II tanks taken out by land mines. Observes say this may be the reason the USA are considering delivering cluster munitions to Ukraine.
“On February 28, 2022, Biden’s press secretary Jen Psaki said that the use of cluster bombs would be a war crime,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. “Over a year later, Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to US President Joe Biden, said at a briefing that the White House would provide cluster munitions to Ukraine… President Biden said that it was a “difficult decision” to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, but Ukrainians “need them.” He forgot to add that dead Ukrainians need them especially badly.”
“…and the Russians are dying. That’s the best money we’ve ever spent.” — Lindsey Graham. pic.twitter.com/mzM5DUOd25
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) May 28, 2023
Senator Lindsey Graham visited Kiev in May, allegedly calling “Russians dying” the “best money we’ve ever spent.”
