Around 2,000-4,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine within 13 days of invasion: US general

The US Defense Department, on Tuesday, reportedly informed the legislators that around 2,000-4,000 Russian soldiers may have died since Moscow announced a full-fledged war against Ukraine. According to a report by The Washington Post, Lieutenant General Scott D. Berrier, Director of the Defence Intelligence Agency, claimed that the Russian forces have suffered heavy damages in the ongoing conflict between the two nations. However, Lt Gen Berrier said that he had low confidence in the figures as the data were mainly based on some "intelligence sources" as well as "open sources".

  As per the media report, the US General’s reference to open source data likely refers to estimates made public by credible outside groups monitoring the conflict. Meanwhile, he affirmed that the Ukrainian forces and the civilians did a courageous job by preventing the Russian troops from entering the national capital, Kyiv with limited resources. The data presented by him also resembles a significant deterrent shown by the Ukrainians when he compared the figures with the total American soldiers killed in Afghanistan. According to the Pentagon figures, as many as 2,461 US soldiers were killed in the entire 20-year US war in Afghanistan. On the other hand, the Ukrainians have killed such a large number of Russian forces who were equipped with advanced weapons within two weeks of the war. He further noted that the Ukrainian forces and civilians were also killed in large numbers.  

"Thus far, the Russian and Ukrainian militaries have probably suffered thousands of casualties along with numerous civilian death. And of course, well more than a million people have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded," The Washington Post quoted the General as saying on Tuesday.

Over 2,000 Ukrainian civilians killed in the war

Russia initiated a full-fledged war against Ukraine nearly two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognising the independence of breakaway regions Donetsk and Luhansk. Putin's action came despite the West's repetitive warning and speculations about his ill-intention to invade Ukraine. Until then, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had called his Russian counterpart to meet him, seeking a resolution to avert the war. However, on February 24, the Russian troops started a military operation against Ukraine, resulting in the heavy shelling and killing of more than 2,000 Ukrainian civilians.

(Image: AP)