Wild footage purports to show Ukrainian drones dropping bombs on Russian targets in Kharkiv, as Kyiv claims Moscow lost over 1,500 troops in a single day on Tuesday.
The clip, which was shared on X by the Ukrainian MoD, appears to show bombs being dropped on various targets, including buildings and a truck, followed by huge explosions.
The post by the Ministry describes it as a “night hunt in the Kharkiv region”, located in the northeast of the country. The footage, which was said to have been filmed by Ukraine’s 92nd Assault Brigade, could not be independently verified by Express.co.uk.
In a separate social media post, the ministry also shared the latest estimates of Russian battlefield losses, as reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on December 18.
It estimates that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has lost a total of 766,690 troops since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, including 1,580 casualties sustained in the 24 hours prior.
Ukraine’s forces have previously said their tallies are “approximate” and clarified earlier this year that estimates of Russian losses include personnel who are injured as well as killed.
Its latest tally also estimates that some 21 armoured combat vehicles, four tanks, five artillery systems, sixty four tactical and strategic UAVs (drones), as well as 60 vehicles and fuel tankers, and two assets under the category of special vehicles and other equipment were also lost as of yesterday.
Earlier this month, Volodymyr Zelensky issued a rare update on Ukraine’s own casualty numbers, claiming that around 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the war so far.
The Ukrainian president said in a post on social media that 370,000 others had been injured but said the figure included troops who had been hurt on more than one occasion.
The war-time leader also claimed that 198,000 Russian soldiers had been killed since the conflict began, with 550,000 wounded, though none of the figures can be verified, and both Kyiv and Moscow are thought to understate their losses.
The reported losses of both sides are closely guarded secrets and are notoriously difficult to establish.
Various estimates have been produced on losses sustained by both sides throughout the conflict. But though reliable statistics remain elusive, there is a consensus among analysts that Russia’s casualty figures are considerably higher due in no small part to the notorious “meat grinder” tactics the military employs.
Reuters recently reported that Putin’s army had 315,000 dead and injured troops, quoting an unnamed US intelligence source.
