Russian Deaths Is 7 Times Higher Than Ukraine's In Bakhmut: Defense Secretary

The Russian army's death toll on the Bakhmut front is significantly higher than that of the Ukrainian army, a top official said Thursday.

Speaking on the 24/7 national joint newscast, Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (NSDC), noted that for every Ukrainian soldier who dies in the battle in Bakhmut, seven Russian soldiers are killed.

"During the meeting of the staff today, we looked at the Russian Federation's losses, especially its losses in Bakhmut. Yes, the situation there is difficult, but keep in mind that every day our men and women dispatch hundreds [of Russian soldiers] where they belong, given that they came here to kill us. Now we are killing them," he said, as quoted by Ukrainska Pravda.

"The count is 1 to 7 in our favor."

It is unclear how many exactly have died in Bakhmut, an embattled town in Donetsk Oblast that has seen hostilities between Russian and Ukrainian forces over the past months. Ukrainian forces are still clinging onto their positions in the city despite constant attacks from the invading troops seeking to claim their first major victory for more than half a year.

While the Ukrainian military continues to hold its ground in Bakhmut, top presidential adviser Alexander Rodnyansky said they could withdraw from the city if the costs of holding it outweigh its benefits.

"Our military is obviously going to weigh all of the options," Rodnyansky told CNN. "So far they've held the city, but if need be, they will strategically pull back because we're not going to sacrifice all of our people just for nothing."

As of Thursday, the Russian army has reportedly lost a total of 150,605 military personnel, according to estimates from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The figures include 715 soldiers killed over the past day.

In addition to its death toll, the army has also lost 3,397 tanks, 6,658 combat armored machines, 2,398 artillery systems, 2,058 UAVs and 5,264 vehicles and fuel tanks in the war against Ukraine.