Evgenia Sokolenko22:45, 17.03.23

Ukraine loses “an order of magnitude less.”

Russia loses up to 1,500 people a day in Ukraine during offensives, mainly near Bakhmut.

This was announced on Twitter  by the leading military journalist of The Guardian Dan Sabbah, citing a senior source in NATO.

According to the interlocutor, the Russians lose “1200, 1300 and even 1500” people daily, and the ratio of killed and wounded is one to three. At the same time, Ukraine is losing “an order of magnitude less.”

However, the NATO official is not ready to predict how long the battles for Bakhmut will last. He added that the front line in the city runs along the river, which has become a “death zone”. Heavy intense fighting is now going on, although the shelling itself is on the decline.

According to him, so far there are no signs that the Armed Forces of Ukraine can be forced to leave Bakhmut. However, even in this case, “there are defensive heights in the west, where the Armed Forces of Ukraine can retreat if necessary.”

The source notes that the Armed Forces of Ukraine consume ammunition faster than Western industry produces them. At the same time, there are no signs of China delivering lethal weapons to Russia, although this topic “has not been taken off the table.”

The NATO official adds that the Russians fear the start of a UAF counteroffensive south of Zaporozhye or north of Lugansk. He is sure that “the first half of the year is critically important for Ukraine for training (military) and capacity building.”

(C)UNIAN 2023