Russia’s attempt to conquer the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka on the eastern frontline is turning into a bloodbath.
An intelligence update shared on Sunday by the UK Defence Ministry read: “Recent Russian assaults in Avdiivka have contributed to a 90 percent increase in Russian casualties recorded by the Ukrainian MoD.”
While the Kremlin doesn’t share data regarding its military losses in Ukraine, the British MoD noted “it is likely that Russia has suffered 150,000-190,000 permanent casualties (killed and permanently wounded) since the conflict began”.
The total figure including temporarily wounded – soldiers due to return to the battlefield after recovery – may be “in the region of 240,000-290,000”, the intelligence update said.
It added: “This does not include Wagner Group or their prisoner battalions who fought in Bakhmut.”
In May, the then leader of the mercenary Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed that some 20,000 of his men were killed in the months-long battle for the control of Bakhmut.
Prigozhin, who died when his private jet crashed down in Russia in late August, said he had recruited around 50,000 prisoners to fight with Wagner in Ukraine.
The MoD assessment comes two days after the Ukrainian General Staff said its forces had damaged and destroyed almost 50 Russian tanks and more than 100 armoured vehicles during the previous day of fighting near Avdiivka.
Moreover, Ukraine’s soldiers operating in the area claimed to have destroyed as many as 200 Russian armoured vehicles between October 16 and 20.
On Saturday, the US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted the initial offensive, which Russia launched on October 10, in the Avdiivka area “resulted in high verified Russian equipment losses”.
Last week, a clear decrease in daily clashes with Ukrainian troops suggested the Russian attack was fizzling out.
But, the ISW said, the offensive against the eastern Ukrainian city appears to have found new strength in recent days.
The US institute commented the move saying: “The fact that Russian forces regrouped and re-launched assaults after the initial attacks suggests that either Russian forces believe they can feasibly take Avdiivka, or that the Russian military command is poorly prioritising offensive operations regardless of cost.”
Avdiivka is of great strategic importance for both Ukraine and Russia due to its proximity to the occupied city of Donetsk.
