Ukrainian servicemen of the 42nd Mechanised Brigade dig trenches during a field military exercise in Donetsk Oblast on Dec. 6, 2023. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)
Russia has lost 342,800 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. 14.
This number includes 1300 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
According to the report, Russia has also lost 5,692 tanks, 10,616 armored fighting vehicles, 10,675 vehicles and fuel tanks, 8,088 artillery systems, 920 multiple-launch rocket systems, 605 air defense systems, 324 airplanes, 324 helicopters, 6,206 drones, 22 ships and boats, and one submarine.
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The budget foresees Hr 4.8 trillion ($115 billion) in expenditures and Hr 2.9 trillion ($70 billion) in revenues — meaning a deficit of 18.5% of GDP, according to Kyiv-based think tank Center for Economic Strategy (CES).
Russia has centralized volunteer drone units like Rubikon into a professional system that is eroding Ukraine’s early edge in UAV warfare and threatening its front lines.
"Today we have finally restored historical justice and turned the page on years of distortions that were used for political pressure and to legitimize Russification. We have demonstrated our maturity as a European state," Language Ombudsman Olena Ivanovska said on Dec. 3.
The Kyiv Appeals Court ordered on Dec. 3 the release of Ruslan Mahamedrasulov, a detective with Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), who had been investigating the country's largest corruption case involving the state-run nuclear power monopoly Energoatom.
European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said that the EU would cover two-thirds of Ukraine's needs over the next two years, which she said amounts to 90 billion euros, leaving the rest to international partners.
The Kyiv Independent’s Martin Fornusek speaks with U.S. Senator Peter Welch about the bipartisan Senate backlash to the Trump administration’s 28-point Ukraine peace plan. Welch explains why the U.S. must defer to Ukraine on the terms of peace and why he supports tougher sanctions and stronger military aid to counter Russia’s aggression.
Only about 19.4% of Ukrainians consider a potential entry into NATO as the best possible security guarantee, a 10% drop from last year, according to a survey.
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Independent, under fire — and unstoppable with you on board
Independent journalism is never easy, and it’s even harder in wartime. Yet we can do it without paywalls, billionaires, or compromise — because of our community. Help us reach 25,000 members by the end of 2025.
Martin Fornusek
