Russia has suffered its biggest setback since the start of the war in Ukraine, a new report by UK-based experts reveals. The news coming from the front in the invaded country will not be to Vladimir Putin’s liking.
Russia would have recorded the biggest failure since the start of the war in Ukraine
Russian armed forces have lost hundreds of armored vehicles in their new offensive against Ukraine. The effects are devastating for Moscow’s infantry, as a recent update on the state of the war by the UK Ministry of Defense shows.
According to data published on November 4 by the UK Ministry of Defence, Russia has lost more than 200 armored vehicles since launching the operation to capture the town of Avdiivka, which is currently held by Ukrainian forces.
The losses are huge
Experts say Russia’s losses are most likely due to a combination of factors, citing as an example “the relative effectiveness of Ukraine’s modern man-portable anti-armor weapons, mines, unmanned aerial vehicle munitions and precision artillery systems .”
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War confirmed the loss of about 200 armored vehicles in a Nov. 1 assessment of the campaign by its experts on the subject, finding that 197 armored vehicles had been destroyed or damaged since October 9.
Russia lost 99 armored vehicles in the first wave of assaults against Avdiivka between October 9 and 13, according to the group, and then suffered another 94 during the second wave that took place between October 14 and 23.
“We can now conclude that this is by far the costliest Russian assault on a city since the beginning of the war,” George Barros, an analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, told Business Insider on Nov. 4.
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“We destroyed a lot of their equipment”
Moscow launched its new offensive to capture Avdiivka on October 10, but has gained little ground since the operation began and has suffered huge casualties in the fighting to capture the Ukrainian city.
“We destroyed a lot of their equipment, so now the enemy continues to advance with infantry,” spokesman for Ukraine’s Tavriisk group, Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun, said in the days after Russia launched its offensive.
Like previous Russian offensives, the Avdiivka attacks were often characterized by advances over open terrain, resulting in heavy casualties, the updated report said, adding that Russia may have suffered thousands of casualties.
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