Five senior Russian officers reportedly killed in Ukraine over last two weeks
In Ukraine's war, at least five high-ranking officers of the Russian Armed Forces were eliminated within two weeks, according to data from investigative journalists within the aggressor country, reports the Russian BBC service.
Representatives of the media have updated their list regarding confirmed and verified losses of Russian forces on the front in Ukraine. According to their assessment, compared to the previous data from December 15, an additional 1,175 individuals have been added, including five officers—1 colonel and 4 lieutenant colonels.
The material specifies that this refers to those whose names journalists from Mediazona and the BBC managed to identify through open sources, not necessarily representing the actual number of casualties, which evidently is significantly higher.
According to Russian investigators' estimates, 2023 has proven to be "more deadly" for the Russian army compared to the previous year when they accounted for the names of at least 15,500 deceased occupiers.
"By the end of 2023, our list had grown to over 40,500 names, and we expect the tally for 2023 to rise by at least a third, especially in light of the recent devastating assaults," mentions Mediazona.
Journalists add that they could confidently say that this year, the Russian Armed Forces suffered even greater losses than in the first year of the large-scale war against Ukraine.
Russian losses in the war with Ukraine
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as of the morning of December 29, during the past day, Ukrainian defenders neutralized nearly 850 more occupiers. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has lost 357,520 military personnel.
By the end of September, the BBC reported that during the initial weeks of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russian military losses significantly increased. Specifically, Russia lost at least 234 officers, including 2 generals and 11 colonels.