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NATO commander in Europe: Russia's losses in Ukraine amount to over 200,000 troops

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NATO commander in Europe: Russia's losses in Ukraine amount to over 200,000 troops
A Russian serviceman patrols a destroyed residential area in the occupied city of Sievierodonetsk on July 12, 2022. (Getty Images)

NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, U.S. Army General Christopher Cavoli, said that Russia has lost more than 200,000 troops since the start of its invasion in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, describing the extent of the war as "unbelievable."

He added that over 1,800 Russian officers were killed or wounded, German magazine Der Spiegel reported.

Cavoli also said that Russia has lost "far more" than 2,000 large battle tanks and that its army fires an average of 23,000 artillery shells per day.

The U.K. Defense Ministry previously estimated that Russia's army and private mercenary groups have likely lost 175,000-200,000 people in Ukraine, with up to 60,000 killed. According to a report, prisoners recruited by the Kremlin-backed private mercenary Wagner Group have suffered a casualty rate of up to 50%.

"The Russian casualty rate has significantly increased since September 2022 when 'partial mobilization' was imposed," reads the report.

The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on March 4 that Russia had lost 152,190 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24 last year.

This number includes 820 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

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The Kyiv Independent news desk

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