Russia continues to suffer record losses in December, Zelensky says

Russian forces have incurred record-high casualties in manpower during hostilities in both November and December, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 11 after hearing a report from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Moscow's troops are advancing at a rapid pace in Ukraine's east, pushing back outgunned and outnumbered Ukrainian defenders at the cost of staggering losses.

"As in November, the Russian military is using a record number of its men in December in battles and assaults," Zelensky said on Telegram.

"These months — November and December — saw record Russian losses," the president noted, adding that the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove sectors in Donetsk Oblast remain the active parts of the front.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry said on Dec. 1 that Russian losses throughout November amounted to 45,720 soldiers wounded, killed, or captured, as well as over $3 billion worth of equipment.

November also saw the record broken for the enemy personnel losses in one day with 2,030, the highest figure since Feb. 24, 2022. Ukrainian and Western estimates put Russian losses at between 600,000-750,000 killed, injured, or captured, while Moscow has not disclosed the exact figures.

Despite the losses, Russia holds the upper hand on the battlefield, advancing toward key Donetsk Oblast towns like Pokrovsk and chipping away at the Ukrainian position in the Russian border region of Kursk.

In his post, Zelensky also thanked Ukrainian forces for "tangible hits on Russian targets last night," namely "military facilities on Russian territory" and "energy and fuel facilities."

Earlier today, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported a successful strike against a Druzhba oil pipeline loading station near the Russian city of Bryansk, resulting in a large-scale fire.

Russian losses in Syria — BBC identifies 543 soldiers, Wagner mercenaries who died since 2015

Of the total number, 346 were employees of the Wagner company, a private mercenary group also deployed in Russia’s war in Ukraine and elsewhere.

The Kyiv IndependentBoldizsar Gyori