Ukrainian Armed Forces assure that Russian troops are “successfully contained in all directions”

A soldier of the Ukrainian army at a check point in the city of Irpin, on March 4, 2022, in Irpin (Ukraine). – Diego Herrera – Europe Press

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kyiv figures in “about 17,500” Russian soldiers killed in combat since the beginning of the invasion

MADRID, 31 (EUROPE PRESS)

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have assured this Thursday that the Russian forces are “successfully contained in all directions” and have highlighted that “in some areas, the troops are carrying out successful counterattacks”, within the framework of the invasion initiated on February 24 by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Army has stated in its account on the social network Facebook that the Ukrainian forces “continue to carry out a defensive operation in the east, southeast and northeast directions”, before noting that in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions ” Five enemy attacks were repelled in one day.”

Likewise, he has denounced that “in the territories of the kyiv region abandoned by the enemy there are frequent cases of mines in the land and buildings” and has pointed to a “movement of Russian military equipment” in Belarus, “probably with the aim of regroup units and create a reserve to replace losses in men, weapons and equipment in the Ukraine”.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have reported that “the morale and psychological situation of the troops of the Russian enemy, as well as the level of motivation of the personnel of the occupying forces when participating in hostilities, remains low and tends to deteriorate.” “There have been numerous cases of refusal to continue service and reluctance to sign contracts with conscripts in units of the Baltic Fleet,” they noted.

In their message, they have stated that the Russian forces seek to “apply a scenario to create another pseudo-republic in the Kherson region” (south), for which Russia would be carrying out “explanatory work” to the local authorities and the population to promote this possibility, amid reports of alleged plans to hold a referendum in this area of ​​the country.

On the other hand, they have estimated at “about 17,500” Russian soldiers killed in combat since the start of the war, a figure higher than that recognized by Moscow, which on Friday assured that more than 1,350 soldiers had died in the clashes. Thus, it has detailed that to date 614 battle tanks, 311 artillery systems and 96 multiple self-propelled and armored rocket launchers have been destroyed.

The Ukrainian Army General Staff has also indicated that 135 planes, 131 helicopters, 54 anti-aircraft defense systems, 1,201 vehicles, seven boats, 75 fuel tanks and 83 drones have been destroyed. “The data is being updated. The calculations are complicated due to the high intensity of hostilities,” he concluded.

The figure contrasts with the one provided on Friday by the first deputy to the Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, General Sergei Rudskoi, who confirmed 1,351 Russian soldiers killed and 3,825 wounded since the beginning of the invasion on February 24. He also stressed that “the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have amounted to about 30,000 troops, of whom 14,000 have died.”

The Russian government announced on Tuesday that it will “drastically reduce” its military operations against the Ukrainian capital, kyiv, and the city of Chernigov after “constructive” talks with Ukraine in the Turkish city of Istanbul in which the Ukrainian authorities again emphasized the need for international security guarantees in order to accept a neutral status.