Ukraine Army Eliminates 670 Russian Soldiers In One Day; Total Death Toll Nears 180,000

Ukraine has reported more casualties on the Russian side in their ongoing war.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in an update that at least 670 Russian troops were killed on the battlefield Monday.

The latest casualty count puts the death toll of Russian service members at 178,820 since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago.

Russia also lost more military equipment Monday, according to the Ukrainian forces. These include one tank, four armored personnel vehicles (APVs), 10 artillery systems and 11 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

So far, Ukraine has destroyed 3,637 Russian tanks, 7,028 APVs, 2,750 artillery systems and 2,323 UAVs in the war.

Over the weekend, the Ukrainian military reported more losses for Russian forces, including 1,040 personnel, three tanks, eight APVs and 18 artillery systems.

In its latest situation update, the Ukrainian Armed Forces said the Russian military on Monday carried out 21 airstrikes and five missile strikes, including four S-300 surface-to-air missile (SAM) strikes that hit the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region.

Russia also launched 30 rocket strikes on various Ukrainian settlements and troop positions on the same day, according to the Ukrainian military.

Russia reportedly intensified its counter-intelligence operations in several occupied Ukrainian territories due to fears of the locations of their military units being leaked.

Russian forces reportedly increased roadblocks and patrols in the town of Starobilsk in the Luhansk region, as well as began to restrict the movement of local taxi drivers in the town of Tokmak in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Ukraine said the most intense fighting of the war remains at the heavily-contested town of Bakhmut.

Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, said Russian troops are implementing "scorched earth" tactics after it destroyed buildings and positions in the beleaguered town.

"The enemy switched to the so-called scorched earth tactics from Syria. It is destroying buildings and positions with air strikes and artillery fire," Syrskyi said.

Syrskyi said Russia is deploying its special forces and airborne assault units to sustain their offensive operations since the private Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group, which spearheaded the assault on Bakhmut, is now exhausted.

Meanwhile, the two warring countries recently exchanged more than 200 troops in a rare move of cooperation.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Monday that 106 Russian troops were released from Ukraine's custody.

Russia released 100 Ukrainian prisoners as part of the agreement, according to Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

However, the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War accused Russia of improperly treating and torturing captive Ukrainian soldiers without presenting evidence for its claims.