UK Defense Ministry: Russian military attempting to exhaust Ukrainian resources

On Feb. 24, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its intelligence update that Russia has likely changed its approach from seizing extensive territory in Ukraine to exhausting the resources of the Ukrainian military.

This pivot, notes the Defense Ministry, follows Russia's forced retreat from Kyiv Oblast in April 2022 and failure to make gains in the east and the south in recent weeks.

According to the report, Russia is relying on its large population and supply of resources to achieve their goals.

Russia's belief in its seemingly infinite resources stand out in stark contrast to its casualty rates. On Feb. 12, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported that Russia had likely been suffering its highest casualties since the start of the war. The average rate of deaths was over 824 a day.

Ukraine's General Staff reported on Feb. 24 that Russia had lost 146,820 troops since the start of the all-out war, with 970 casualties on Feb. 23 alone.

In December, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in an interview with Ukrainian media outlet LB that it could take between five years and a decade for Russia to restore its manpower, equipment, and missile capacity.

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The Kyiv Independent