Ukraine claims Russian material, troop losses continue to soar

ANKARA

Ukraine on Monday morning claimed that Russian material and troop losses continue to soar.

At least 19,500 Russian soldiers have so far been killed in the war that started on Feb. 24 with the Russian attack on Ukraine, said the Ukrainian General Staff in a statement on Facebook.

Ukrainian forces have destroyed 154 Russian aircraft, 137 helicopters, 119 unmanned aerial vehicles, 725 tanks, 1,923 armored vehicles, and 347 artillery systems, the statement added.

Furthermore, the Russian forces also lost 111 multiple rocket launcher systems, 1,387 various motor vehicles, 76 fuel tanks, 55 anti-aircraft systems, and four short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) systems, according to the statement.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the European Union, US, and the UK, among others, implementing stringent economic penalties on Moscow.

At least 1,793 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 2,439 injured, according to estimates by the UN, which noted that the true figure is likely far higher.

More than 4.5 million Ukrainians have also fled to several European countries, with millions more displaced inside the country, according to the UN refugee agency.