Ukraine war in the blog | USA: 20,000 Russians killed near Bachmut since early December

Day 432 since the beginning of the war: The USA reports of large Russian losses in Bakhmut. Apparently, Prigozhin’s troops still lack ammunition. All information in the blog.

1.48 am: According to their boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner mercenary group still lacks ammunition. About 300 tons of artillery shells per day are needed for the battle for Bakhmut, but Wagner only receives a third of this amount, Prigozhin writes on his Telegram channel. “300 tons per day corresponds to ten freight containers – that’s not much.”

In a separate statement, he explains that his troops advanced about 120 meters into Bakhmut, losing 86 of his fighters. Prigozhin repeatedly clashed with the government in Moscow over the conduct of the war in Ukraine and what he saw as insufficient support for his fighters.

9.50 p.m.: After the latest Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced more effective anti-aircraft defenses. “We are working with our partners as actively as possible to make the protection of our airspace even more reliable,” said Zelenskyj on Monday in his video speech every evening. “Last night alone, from midnight to 7 a.m., we managed to shoot down 15 Russian missiles,” said Zelenskyy. “But unfortunately not all”.

The reason for Selenskyj’s statement was Russian attacks with cruise missiles and rockets on Monday night and during the course of the day. Several projectiles fell in Pavlohrad in central Ukraine, injuring at least 34 people. Numerous buildings were destroyed or damaged.

Zelenskyj announced retaliation for the attacks. “The Russian occupiers will receive our reply to every such attack,” he said. Russia has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine since February last year.

8:27 p.m.: According to the United States, Russia has lost around 100,000 soldiers and mercenaries to death or wounds in the fighting in the region around the city of Bakhmut over the past five months. About 20,000 of them died, including half as members of the Wagner group, said White House national security spokesman John Kirby. The numbers were based on US intelligence estimates. Kirby describes the Russian offensive on Bakhmut as a failure.

US Chief of Staff Mark Milley reported in November that more than 100,000 Russian soldiers had been killed or wounded in the first eight months of the war. The same probably applies to the Ukrainian side, he said in New York at the time. These numbers cannot be independently verified.

Kirby said the strategic value of Russia recapturing Bakhmut was “small”. Such a move will not change the course of the war in Russia’s favour. “For Russia, these efforts, especially in Bakhmut, come at a very, very high price,” Kirby said. Russia’s stockpiles of weapons and troops are exhausted, but Ukraine’s defenses in the areas around Bakhmut remain strong.

7.50 p.m.: According to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Ukraine can expect to receive ammunition for the Cheetah anti-aircraft tank from Germany from around August. Production is being set up, but this will take some time, says Scholz at a public dialogue in Bendorf near Koblenz.

5:23 p.m.: According to Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov, Ukraine’s preparations for the expected spring offensive to recapture Russian-occupied territories are “in the final phase”. “I believe in her,” he said on state television on Monday. “A lot has been done for their success.”

“I believe that as of today we can turn onto the home straight and say: Yes, everything is ready,” emphasized Resnikov. “And then, based on the decision and understanding the situation on the battlefield, the General Staff, the Commander-in-Chief and his team will decide how, where and when,” the minister said. Like Ukraine’s international partners, he is convinced of the success of the offensive. After all, Kiev’s partners understand that success “is in the security interests of their countries and their people.”