Ukraine Marks 180th Day Of War With Successful Counteroffensive In Novomykhailivka

Russia appears ready to pay the costs of a long war of attrition

KEY POINTS

Russian soldiers who advanced in Donetsk areas suffered losses at the hands of the Ukrainian army
The Russian army suffered the biggest losses in the direction of Donetsk
Ukraine says Russia has so far lost 45,400 soldiers in the war

The Armed Forces of Ukraine marked the 180th day of the war against Russia on Monday by successfully launching a counteroffensive and pushing back Moscow's troops in the Novomykhailivka area, according to a report.

Russian soldiers who attempted to improve their positions in the Novomykhailivka area in Donetsk Oblast were met with the defense of the Ukrainian army, causing them to suffer losses. The Russian military unit retreated, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (UAF).

The Ukrainian army also successfully pushed back Russian soldiers who led assault operations near the villages of Soledar, Kodema and Zaitseve.

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The Kremlin has not issued an official death toll of its soldiers in the war in Ukraine since March. However, recent estimates from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine put the Russian death toll at 45,400, with at least 200 deaths reported Monday. The Russian army suffered the biggest losses in the direction of the eastern Donetsk region.

The Defense Ministry also said the Ukrainian army destroyed 1,919 Russian tanks, 4,230 combat armored machines, 815 UAVs and 3,149 vehicles and fuel tanks since the war began in February.

In contrast, Kyiv has lost nearly 9,000 soldiers in the war against Russia, Ukraine's commander-in-chief Valeriy Zaluzhniy said at a forum Monday, as quoted by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

The last time Ukraine announced its military losses was in April when President Volodymyr Zelensky said that up to 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed in the conflict.

"As to our military, out of the numbers we have, we think that we lost 2,500 to 3,000, in comparison with the Russian military, who lost about 19,000 to 20,000," Zelensky said at the time. "That's the comparison. But we have about 10,000 injured, and it's hard to say how many will survive."

Apart from Ukraine's military death toll, at least 5,587 Ukrainian civilians have also been killed since February, including 5,225 adults and 362 children, according to a report from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.