Putin Admits 'Losses' In Russian Military As Ukraine War Continues

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday admitted that Russia has suffered losses in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian leader made the rare admission during his annual meeting with the Federal Security Service whom he later called on to provide "support" to the families of soldiers who were killed in combat.

"Unfortunately, comrade officers, we know that there are losses in our ranks," Putin said, as translated by ABC News. "We will always remember their heroism and bravery."

Despite his acknowledgment, Putin did not disclose exactly how many soldiers Russia has lost in the war. The Russian Ministry of Defense has also refrained from giving an update on Moscow's military losses. The last time the ministry reported on its losses was in September 2022, when it claimed the Russian army lost nearly 6,000 troops.

There are varying estimates of Russia's losses in the war. An analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) puts the number of Russians killed or missing in Ukraine since last year at between 60,000 and 70,000.

The United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense estimates Russian casualties to be between 175,000 and 200,000, with the number of deaths approximately between 40,000 and 60,000.

In comparison, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine put the Russian military death toll at 149,240 as of Tuesday. The figure included 550 soldiers who were killed over the past day.

In addition to massive losses among its ranks, Russia is also suffering from troop desertion. Earlier this week, a group of soldiers from Russia's regiment 1439 published a video where they said they will not fight in the war after being given "unlawful and criminal orders" to go to battle without "any support."

"We ask for help in dealing with the unlawful and criminal orders of our command ... the soldiers of the territorial defense were made into assault units in a single day and were sent to assault the Avdiivka stronghold — without any support from artillery, communications, sappers, reconnaissance — to be slaughtered," one of the soldiers said, as translated by CNN.

The video was made by the same regiment that issued a similar protest in January. It is unclear if the latest video included men who were involved in the previous complaint.