Putin fails to achieve strategic goals in Ukraine after 1000 days of war - US Defense Secretary
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (Photo: Getty Images)
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shared that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not achieved any of his strategic goals in the war on Ukraine, despite almost 1,000 days of fighting.
“Yet after nearly 1000 days of war, Putin hasn’t achieved a single one of his strategic objectives. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky didn’t flee. Kyiv didn’t fall. And Ukraine didn’t fold,” Austin stated.
Instead, according to the Pentagon chief, Russia has paid a “staggering price for Putin’s imperial folly.” He pointed out that hundreds of thousands of Russian casualties since February 2022 and over $200 billion have been squandered in vain.
Austin cited the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which reported that Russia’s casualties in the first year of the war alone surpassed its total losses from all conflicts since World War II combined.
“Ukraine has suffered terribly at Putin’s hands. But as I saw again in Kyiv last week, Ukraine stands unbowed — and even strengthened,” he added.
War in Ukraine: Ongoing losses for Russia
The war in Ukraine has been ongoing for 983 days. During this time, Russia has reportedly lost more than 697,000 personnel, over 9,000 tanks, more than 20,000 artillery systems, and nearly a thousand air defense systems. According to Estonian intelligence, Russia may have lost around 40,000 soldiers in October alone.
As for Russia’s objectives, recent Kremlin statements reiterated intentions to reach the borders of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions. However, with no progress on these fronts, Russian officials have ceased mentioning this goal.
Meanwhile, Russian troops appear increasingly unwilling to fight due to mounting losses. Partisans recently reported that Russian marines based in Crimea are bribing their commanders to avoid deployment to the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have been advancing for months.
