A destroyed Russian tank in a field near the village of Bohorodychne, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on Feb. 13, 2024. (Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Russia has lost 768,220 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Dec. 19.
This number includes 1,530 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 9,576 tanks, 19,799 armored fighting vehicles, 31,678 vehicles and fuel tanks, 21,178 artillery systems, 1,256 multiple launch rocket systems, 1,026 air defense systems, 369 airplanes, 329 helicopters, 20,521 drones, 28 ships and boats, and one submarine.
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Meanwhile, Finnish President Alexander Stubb voiced doubts about Russia's readiness for peace in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat, saying, "They (Russia) want to continue the war at least until the fall to maximize their own territorial gains."
A 31-year-old Russian serviceman claimed in an interview to have participated in the May 2024 killing of five captured Ukrainian soldiers in Donetsk Oblast, according to Polish-Belarusian media outlet Vot Tak.
German media outlet Welt reported, citing anonymous EU sources, that China has signalled it is prepared to send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. However, China is prepared to do so only "if the peacekeeping forces were deployed on the basis of a mandate from the United Nations (UN)," the sources told Welt.
U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg is reportedly traveling to Kyiv to mark Ukraine's 34th Independence Day, Reuters journalist Graham Slattery reported Aug. 21 on X.
The European Union disbursed more than 4 billion euros ($4.7 billion) in financial aid to Ukraine ahead of its 34th Independence Day, underscoring the bloc's continued support for Ukraine amid the ongoing invasion.
Italian police have arrested a Ukrainian national under a European arrest warrant in connection with the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions, German prosecutors announced on Aug. 21.
"This year, up to 30,000 troops are expected to participate, significantly fewer than in previous exercises. Around 6,000–8,000 will be stationed in Belarus, with several thousand in Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave," Lithuanian intelligence said in a press release.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
