Kyiv, March 1 (Agency) With Russia having escalated the percentage of its troops from 40 to 75 per cent inside Ukraine in six days, as per military experts, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Tuesday put out an official statement, saying 5,710 personnel of Vladimir Putin’s army has been killed. “The total estimated losses of the enemy from 24.02 to 01.03 as of 06:00 were: In personnel – 5710 people, Prisoners – 200. “Destroyed and damaged: aircraft – 29 units, helicopters – 29 units, Tanks -198, BBM / APV – 846, artillery systems – 77, anti-aircraft warfare systems – 7, MLRS – 24, fuel tanks – 60, UAV operational and tactical level – 3, boats – 2 units, motor vehicles / Vehicles – 305.” It also said: “Data are being updated. The calculation is complicated by the high intensity of hostilities.” The 75 per cent figure has been cited by a senior US defence official.
Jack Watling, a research fellow in land warfare and military sciences at the Royal United Services Institute told the BBC. Speaking to Radio 4’s Today programme, he said a large body of Russian troops is advancing south from Belarus and starting to set the conditions to be able to conduct an assault into Kyiv. Asked about the suggestion that Russia has used grad missiles on residential areas in Kharkiv, he describes these weapons as multiple launch rocket systems which fire large numbers of unguided missiles into an area. “It’s the fact that they’re unguided and you’re putting huge amounts of high explosive into densely populated civilian area,” he says. The Ukrainian army is no longer functioning in military formations, but now in fairly fixed defending positions and becoming more and more part of the territorial defence and volunteer force that it is operating alongside, he said.
He says there’s also evidence some of these many have contained cluster munitions. “It’s the fact that they’re unguided and you’re putting huge amounts of high explosive into densely populated civilian area,” he added. On Tuesday, the enemy regrouped troops and fired missiles and bombs from the air. Russia attempted to land tactical landings. Widely usesd sabotage and reconnaissance teams to attack civilian and military infrastructure, the Ukranian army described the invasion in progress on Day 6. Defensive battles continue in the Siverskyi region in order to prevent the enemy from advancing to the capital from the north-eastern direction. In the suburbs of Chernihiv, the appearance of separate enemy DRGs was noted, which, with the support of armoured vehicles, tried to break into the city, but were destroyed by Ukrainian defenders.
In other areas, tank and mechanized units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with the support of aircraft and artillery, continue to conduct defensive battles on the occupied borders. Fire defeat of the enemy by all available means is carried out, reports said. In Slobozhanshchyna, mechanized brigades and BTGs of Airborne Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the operational group are destroying the manpower and military equipment of the russian occupiers, who are trying to get in and restore the position on the first line of defence, the General Staff said. “The Kyiv Defence Forces continued to defend the city, maintain the outer borders of the defence and critical state infrastructure, preventing the occupation units from approaching the suburbs of the capital. “Active measures are being taken to identify and destroy the DRG of the enemy, who, ignoring the norms of international humanitarian law, disguises himself in the military uniform of the Armed Forces, National Guard and National Police of Ukraine to penetrate Kyiv through the combat formations of our troops,” it added.