Russian losses in Ukraine for October could hit 40,000, Estonian intelligence suggests
Russian troop casualties over October may reach around 40,000, Janek Kesselmann, the deputy commander of the Estonian Military Intelligence Center, said on Oct. 25.
Ukraine's General Staff reported on Oct. 25 that Russian forces had suffered 1,630 casualties over the past day, surpassing the previous second-highest tally of 1,530, which was set on Oct. 18.
"Russia's losses are quite high. And this month seems to be one of the biggest in terms of losses for Russia," Kesselmann told Estonian media EER.
Russian troops continue to advance along the entire front line, made possible by constant shelling and so-called human wave infantry attacks, Kesselmann added.
Russian attacks are currently most concentrated around Zelene and Kurakhove in the Pokrovsk sector of Donetsk Oblast.
Meanwhile, Russian tactics have shifted recently to not entering the settlements, as this requires more "sophisticated" preparation, according to Estonian intelligence.
"Therefore, they besiege settlements with indirect fire. After the settlement is surrounded, they simply destroy it. It is a very cynical and disgusting thing," Kesselmann said.
Russian troops have also advanced in the area of Chasiv Yar and the Lyman sector of the front line in Donetsk Oblast.
In Russia's Kursk Oblast, there were no significant changes in the territories controlled by Ukrainian troops over the past week, Estonian intelligence said.
North Korea has sent nearly 12,000 troops to Russia, including 500 officers and three generals, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said.
The first soldiers to participate alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine have been reportedly sent to Kursk Oblast, where Ukraine began a cross-border incursion in August and still holds significant swathes of territory.
The first Noth Korean soldiers are to be deployed to the combat zone on Oct. 27-28, according to Kyiv.
Chris York
