War criminal Putin continues to force his troops into the meat grinder in eastern Ukraine:
The Ukrainian military claims to have eliminated more than 1,000 Russian soldiers in 24 hours of heavy fighting.
Described as the “deadliest day” for Moscow in its nearly year-long invasion of Ukraine, the attackers were reportedly pushed to their limits in an intensifying winter assault in the east.
Vladimir Putin’s army lost a total of 1,030 soldiers in one day despite sending thousands of freshly mobilized troops to the battlefield, according to the Ukrainian defense ministry.
Officials also revealed that defenders destroyed 14 Russian tanks and 28 armored personnel vehicles.
After the deadly winter assault, total Russian soldiers killed in the conflict have reportedly risen to 133,000.
Ukraine also claims to have neutralized 3,245 Russian tanks, 6,443 armored personnel vehicles, 2,232 artillery systems, and 294 aircraft and helicopters since the start of the invasion in February last year...
Fighting around Bakhmut and Soledar in recent weeks has been particularly intense, with significant loss of life on both sides. Ukraine believes Russia is massing up to 500,000 troops for a Spring offensive, making the provision of modern Western weaponry all the more critical. Like the American M982 Excalibur guided artillery shell:
#Ukraine: A Russian self-propelled howitzer (appears to be a 2S1 Gvozdika) and D-20 152mm towed howitzer were destroyed by the Ukrainian 45th Artillery Brigade using M982 Excalibur guided projectiles near Soledar, #Donetsk Oblast. pic.twitter.com/JbhF0yKet3
— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) February 8, 2023
While war criminal Putin doesn't care how many Russians die in pursuit of his vainglory, continuing to hollow out the Russian military with as minimal loss of Ukrainian lives as possible remains the best of many bad alternatives. And Ukraine has an important intangible on its side: Ukrainians are fighting for the survival of their country, while Russian are fighting for... Putin? Advantage Ukraine.
(Photo: Back atcha! Ukrainian artillerymen fire a Russian- made Pion 203mm cannon near Bakhmut/LIBKOS/AP)
