Ukraine claims invading Russian troops lost over 19,000 military personnel since Feb 24

As the Russian war on Ukraine stepped into day 49, Ukraine in its latest operational report on Wednesday claimed that at least, 19,890 Russian troops have been killed since the beginning of the conflict on February 24. A detailed list of indicative estimates of Russian combat losses was published by the General Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine on their official Facebook page. However, the approximate number of Russian troops' casualties was not verified by Republic TV independently.

Published around 9 am on April 13, the update on the Russian losses claimed that Ukraine Armed Forces have intercepted at least 132 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). In addition, Kyiv also mowed down 158 Russian fighter jets, 143, and 358 artillery pieces. While staging a strong defence against the invading Russian troops, Kyiv also destroyed at least 1,964 armoured personnel carriers, 4 mobile SRBM systems, and 116 MLRS. Apart from this, Ukraine Naval Forces have bogged down around 7 boats. In a major show of strength, the on-ground defending forces have so far tackled damaged at least 739 Russian military tanks, 64 anti-craft warfare, and 25 special military equipments.

Russia says over 1,000 Ukrainian troops surrendered in Mariupol

Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry on Wednesday stated that at least 1,026 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered in the besieged city of Mariupol. The troops, belonging to the 36th Marine Brigade also included 162 officers. "In the town of Mariupol, near the Ilyich Iron and Steel Works, as a result of successful offensives by Russian armed forces and Donetsk People’s Republic militia units, 1,026 Ukrainian soldiers of the 36th Marine Brigade voluntarily laid down arms and surrendered," the Russian Ministry said in a statement. It is pertinent to mention that Mariupol has faced some of the most brutal assaults amid the raging six-week-long war. Russians pummeled the city in an attempt to gain control over the strategic port to help Moscow gain access to a direct route to Crimea.

According to Mariupol mayor Vadim Boychenko, as quoted by the Associated Press, at least 10,000 people have been killed in the port city since its siege last February. As the corpses lay "carpeted through the streets," the death toll is predicted to surpass 20,000 in the coming weeks. Boychenko also claimed that Russian occupiers shoved many bodies into storage facilities in a huge shipping center in Mariupol. He also seconded the claims of Kyiv officials who mentioned the use of mobile crematoriums to dispose of evidence bodies of the victims. Speaking to AP, Boychenko also described the methodic use of such equipments. "Mobile crematoriums have arrived in the form of trucks. You open it, and there is a pipe inside and these bodies are burned," he explained meticulously. Such claims now and in the past weeks have prompted widespread condemnation and charges against Russia for committing alleged "war crimes" in Ukraine.

(Image: AP)