The International Criminal Court is already investigating war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Ukraine

KEY POINTS

  • Ukraine says more than 45,700 Russian soldiers have been killed in the war
  • The Ukrainian army says it has destroyed over 1,900 Russian tanks
  • More than 5,500 Ukrainian civilians are said to have died in the war so far

The Ukrainian army on Wednesday successfully pushed back Russian soldiers attempting to advance in several regions in Ukraine, according to a report.

Russian forces advancing in the directions of the settlements of Pisky, Nevelske, Pobieda, Novomykhailivka, Pavlivka and Velyka Novosilka in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk were pushed back by a counteroffensive by Ukraine's army, forcing them to retreat from their positions, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (UAF) said in a report.

Russian military troops in Donetsk also attempted to improve their tactical position in the directions of Soledar, Bakhmutske and Kodema. However, they were unable to get past the Ukrainian defense and were forced to pull back, the report said.

The Ukrainian army also successfully repelled the advances of Russians in the direction of Mykolaivka, inflicted losses and forced them to retreat.

The Kremlin has not released an official military death toll. However, an estimate from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine put the Russian military death toll at 45,700 since the beginning of the war, with 150 new deaths added Wednesday. The Ukrainian army said it has destroyed a total of 1,924 Russian tanks, 4,243 combat armored machines, 1,036 artillery systems, 819 UAVs and 3,160 fuel tanks in the war so far.

The UAF General Staff's report came as Ukraine on Wednesday marked the sixth month of the war against Russia. The half-year mark came on Ukraine's Independence Day, celebrating the country's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

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According to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), over the last six months, more than 13 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee from their homes amid the invasion. At least 6,645,000 Ukrainians have also been displaced from their homes but are still staying in the country, data from the International Organization for Migration showed.

As per Aug. 22 estimates from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, more than 5,500 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and over 7,800 have been injured in the war. Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhny, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed forces, this week said they have lost 9,000 military troops, with the largest losses suffered in Donetsk and Mykolaiv.

Ukraine depends largely on foreign weapons, like this Next Generation Light Anti-Armour Weapon (NLAW), to fight the Russian invaders