Ukraine Eliminates 820 Russian Soldiers On Monday; 143,000 Total Deaths Days Before War Anniversary

Russia has lost another 820 military personnel in its invasion of Ukraine, pushing the total number of Russian casualties in the conflict above 143,000 just days before the war marks its first anniversary.

A total of 143,680 Russian personnel have been "liquidated" since the invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated in its most recent casualty report released Monday.

The military staff put the figure at 142,860 in a report from the previous day.

In addition to personnel, Russia has also lost 3,316 tanks, 6,553 armored fighting vehicles and 2,334 artillery systems in the war, among other pieces of military equipment, according to the latest data provided by Ukraine's military.

Russia is currently carrying out offensive operations in the partially occupied eastern Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Casualties among Russian forces remain high, particularly in the settlements of Bakhmut and Vuhledar, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in a Monday intelligence briefing.

Russia's 155th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade and 40th Naval Infantry Brigade, which are considered elite units, have sustained very high losses and are likely combat ineffective, according to the ministry.

There has also been an observed absence of critical tank units in Russia's current operations, suggesting that the Russian military continues to struggle to replace equipment, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in an assessment released Sunday.

The absence of reconstituted tank units "deprives the Russian ground forces of the kind of punch required to make and exploit operationally significant breakthroughs," according to the American think tank.

While Russia's offensive will probably earn it some temporary momentum, it "will very likely culminate well short of its objectives and likely short of achieving operationally significant gains," the ISW said.

Russia's renewed attacks come as President Joe Biden visited the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv Monday.

Biden, who met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced during the trip that the United States would provide an additional $500 million in military assistance to Ukraine.

"[O]ne year later, Kyiv stands and Ukraine stands. Democracy stands. The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you," Biden said during his speech that was delivered in Kyiv's presidential residence, the Mariinsky Palace.

It is likely that Russia's forces are "under increasing political pressure as the anniversary of the invasion draws near," according to the British MoD.

Russia may claim that Bakhmut, its primary target since summer of last year, has been seized to coincide with the anniversary "regardless of the reality on the ground," the ministry suggested.

"If Russia's spring offensive fails to achieve anything then tensions within the Russian leadership will likely increase," the British MoD said.