NATO: Up to 15,000 Russian troops dead in Ukraine

NATO estimated that between 7,000 and 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in four weeks of military operations in Ukraine, where ferocious fighting by the country’s defenders has denied Moscow the lightning victory it sought.

By way of comparison, Moscow lost about 15,000 soldiers in Afghanistan over 10 years in the 1980s.

A senior Nato military official said the alliance’s estimate was based on information from Ukrainian officials, what Russia has released – intentionally or otherwise – and intelligence gathered from open sources. The official spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by Nato.

When Russia began its campaign on February 24, a swift toppling of Ukraine’s elected government seemed likely. With Wednesday marking four full weeks of fighting, however, Russia is bogged down in a grinding military effort.

With its ground forces repeatedly slowed or stopped by hit-and-run Ukrainian units armed with Western-supplied weapons, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troops are bombarding targets from afar.

As US President Joe Biden left for Europe on Wednesday to meet with allies about possible new sanctions against Moscow and more military aid to Ukraine, he warned there is a “real threat” Russia could use chemical weapons.

Addressing Japan’s parliament on Wednesday, meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said four weeks of war had killed thousands of his people, including at least 121 children.

“Our people cannot even adequately bury their murdered relatives, friends and neighbours,” he said.

Still, major Russian objectives remain unfulfilled. The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, has been shelled repeatedly but has not been encircled.

Talks to end the fighting have continued by video. Zelenskyy said negotiations with Russia are going “step by step, but they are going forward”