1,600 Russian Soldiers Died Over The Weekend; Death Toll Now At 142,000: Ukraine

Russia suffered 1,600 military casualties over the weekend in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, pushing its total losses in the conflict above 142,000, data provided by the Ukrainian military showed.

About 590 Russian combat losses were reported by the Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff Sunday.

In a report from the previous day, the military staff announced 1,010 Russian casualties.

Russia has lost a total of 142,860 personnel in Ukraine since it began its invasion nearly a year ago, according to the latest figures provided by the Ukrainian military.

Russian losses also included 3,310 tanks, 6,545 armored fighting vehicles and 2,327 artillery systems, among other pieces of equipment.

Russian military and private mercenary groups have collectively suffered between 175,000 and 200,000 casualties in the war, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense (MoD) suggested in a Friday intelligence briefing.

Russia's loss rate, which significantly increased after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced troop mobilization last September, likely includes around 40,000 to 60,000 fatalities, according to the ministry.

"By modern standards, these figures represent a high ratio of personnel killed compared to those wounded," the British MoD said.

Artillery most probably inflicted the majority of Russia's losses, according to the defense ministry.

Western nations have provided Ukraine with a variety of modern artillery systems, such as the United States' M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, more commonly known as HIMARS, as well as the French 152-millimeter CAESAR self-propelled howitzer.

Ukraine and Russia supposedly fire as many as 30,000 shells at each other on an average day.

Both sides' stockpiles are now shrinking, Bloomberg reported.

Former U.S. Army officer Douglas Bush, who currently serves as the service's top acquisition official, has revealed that the U.S. will increase the production of 155-millimeter artillery shells needed by Ukraine.

The U.S. Army produced 14,400 unguided shells monthly before the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but the need to supply Ukrainian forces has prompted Pentagon leaders to aim for 90,000 or more shells to be produced a month, according to a report by The New York Times.

Such levels of conventional ammunition production have reportedly not been since the Korean War in the early 1950s.

"In previous conflicts, we had stockpiles that were sufficient for the conflict. In this case, we're seeking to increase production to both maintain our stockpile for some other contingency but also supply an ally," Bush said in an interview.

"We're going to start seeing this summer our first significant step up in terms of rounds per month," he said of the shell production goals. The ramp really hits its stride in fiscal year 2024," the official noted.

The Pentagon has declined the New York Times' request for comment on the size of its reserves of 155-millimeter shells, but Bush claimed the planned increases in production would support Ukraine's needs in real-time and replenish the amount that was drawn from existing stocks.