Ukraine launched its much-touted counteroffensive in early June. Ukrainian President Zelensky admitted that progress was "slower than desired." The Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukrainian troops had been trying — but failing — to advance in the South Donetsk, Artemovsk (Bakhmut) and Zaporozhye sectors.
"Since the start of the so-called 'offensive,' the Ukrainian armed forces lost over 43,000 soldiers in June-July. This number does not include the injured, who were evacuated to hospitals in Ukraine and abroad, foreign mercenaries as well as the soldiers that were neutralized in long-range high-precision strikes in rear areas," the ministry stated.
Kiev has also lost 76 US-made M777 artillery systems, 84 self-propelled artillery systems from Western countries over the two months of its counteroffensive operation, it added.
As many as 4,900 units of different military equipment have been destroyed on the line of contact since the start of Ukraine's counteroffensive, including 1,800 tanks and armored combat vehicles, the ministry also stated.
Russian forces repelled 8 Ukrainian attacks conducted a counterattack and took more advantageous positions near Donetsk direction, the ministry said.
The Kiev regime has lost over 1,800 tanks and armored combat vehicles on the frontline, including 25 Leopards during its counteroffensive, the ministry stressed.
"The total losses of the enemy in this direction amounted to 185 Ukrainian servicemen, two armored combat vehicles, two pickup trucks, four cars, a Polish-made Krab self-propelled artillery mount, and a D-20 howitzer," the ministry said in a statement, adding that Russian forces took better positions following a counterattack.
The ministry mentioned that the Ukrainian military continued to make attempts to attack in Donetsk, South Donetsk, Kupyansk and Krasny Liman direction. According to the Russian side, Ukraine lost 130 soldiers in the Zaporozhye direction, 120 soldiers in the South Donetsk direction and 70 soldiers in the Krasny Liman direction in the past 24 hours.
"In the Kupyansk direction, the assault detachments of (Russia’s) Western grouping of forces continue offensive operations on a broad front and have taken more advantageous positions in the areas of the settlements of Olshana, Petropavlovka and Tokarovka in the Kharkov region," the ministry said.
Watch Russian Su-25 Aircraft Destroy Ukrainian Mortar Units
Two Su-25SM attack aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces wiped out Ukrainian mortar positions near Krasny Liman. Protected by heavy armor, the jets are resistant to ground fire, while capable of carrying various weapons from bombs to a 30mm cannon.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense has published a video of a pair of Su-25SM "Grach" launching a missile strike at an altitude of only around 25 meters and a velocity of 800/h using 80mm and 122mm caliber missiles.
The Sukhoi attack jets have been successfully performing tasks since the beginning of the special operation. Designed to support infantry and destroy ground targets, the Su-25 have been instrumental in annihilating Ukrainian troops and armored vehicles.
Kiev's much-touted counteroffensive effort was launched in early June after several delays. Zelensky’s partners in the West have been voicing concerns over the negative results of the Ukrainian efforts, pointing out severe losses among servicemen and the NATO-supplied military equipment.
Russian military unimpressed by captured Swedish armor
The Russian military has expressed scepticism over the capabilities of a Swedish CV90 tracked armored vehicle, captured by soldiers during the conflict with Ukraine.
The dismissive comments can be heard in a video which the Defense Ministry released on Friday to report a visit by ministry chief, Sergey Shoigu, to a command post involved in the Ukrainian operation. Commander Andrey Mordvichev showed the trophy to the visiting official.
Mordvichev noted that the Swedish-made vehicle, which has been in service since 1993, resembles a tank. However, the one captured by the Russian troops was defeated by a “simple and cheap” RPG-7, a shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenade launcher that has been in use since the 1960s.
“The vehicle was stopped with the tool of our grandfathers,” the commander said.
The donated armor also lacked spare parts and tools for field repair, but did have a kit to indicate an emergency stop, Mordvichev told the minister.
The CV90 is quite tall, making it a relatively easy target, and its main weapon has a relatively low rate of fire because of its reloading mechanism, according to the Russian military.
The vehicle captured by the Russian troops appears to be armed with the Bofors 40/70 autocannon. It fires 40mm cartridges, which are fed through a magazine that has three separate compartments for three different ammunition types, with total capacity of 24 rounds. The magazine is loaded manually.
Mordvichev confirmed that the CV90 had several types of cartridges on board, but said their overall number was low.
The Russian capture of Swedish armor was reported in late July, marking the first time this particular weapon platform had been seized during the Ukraine conflict. Its driver and gunner were killed, the commander said during the tour.
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