The Ukrainian ministry of defence on Monday claimed Russia's death toll in the conflict between the two nations had crossed 5,000.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced on Facebook that approximately 5,300 Russian personnel had died. It claimed Russia had lost 29 aeroplanes and 29 helicopters, 191 tanks and 816 armoured combat vehicles among other equipment. Ukraine also claimed to have destroyed two Russian maritime craft.
Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar cautioned the figures were only estimates.
“Information is indicative… since it is extremely difficult to receive after the battle, because the commanders primarily focus on the fight. In addition, the information we can only receive after the completion of the battle, and the battles are extremely prolonged in time. The arrival of data may occur next day, and sometimes every other day. In addition, if the battle lasted at night and began on one calendar date and ended on another, it is quite difficult to separate on what day certain losses occurred,” she was quoted as saying by Interfax.
also read
Earlier in the day, the General Staff claimed Russia had reduced the pace of its offensive. It claimed Russia was continuing airstrikes on “military and civilian airports, military control points (forces), air defence system facilities, critical infrastructure facilities”.
Ukraine alleged Russia had violated international humanitarian conventions by firing missiles at “residential buildings in the cities of Zhytomyr and Chernihiv”.
