Russia paves the road to Avdiivka with its own corpses

The Russian troops continue to advance, but the price they are paying is high. Russia is losing an enormous number of soldiers and equipment - according to Ukrainian reports, 1250 people were wounded or killed on Saturday. One target of the casualty-laden attacks: opinion in the west.

The Ukrainian General Staff reports continued heavy fighting on the ground. Foreign experts such as the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in the USA observe that Russia is making territorial gains with its advances. However, according to Ukrainian attacks, this is currently coming at a very high price: the General Staff reported 1250 Russian soldiers killed in action in the last 24 hours on Sunday. This is far more than the usual daily number of casualties, which is usually well below 1000.

Ukraine also reported above-average losses of Russian equipment yesterday: the General Staff of the Ukrainian army reported the destruction of 19 tanks, 25 armored transport vehicles and 37 artillery systems.

The high numbers match the frontline reports, which report dozens of Russian attacks in the east and south of the country. Most of the Russian advances were once again in the city of Avdiivka and the surrounding area in the Donbass - 27 battles were recorded. They were reportedly repelled. The General Staff's evening report on Saturday mentions a total of 71 battles - a slight decrease after 82 battles on Friday.

Security experts have been analyzing for some time that the Russian troops are suffering enormous losses of soldiers' lives in their determination to take Avdiivka. Undeterred, the Russian military leadership is sending its tanks into the Ukrainian city, which is now in ruins. The numbers have increased again since October, but many tanks are being destroyed by Ukrainian artillery - according to Ukrainian reports, there are now 220 at Avdiivka alone. Accordingly, British and American intelligence services attest to the Russian army's small territorial gains at an enormously high cost in terms of men and material.

However, Russia showed no consideration for human life from the very beginning of the war. Of the approximately 360,000 soldiers Moscow's army had under contract before the war and who went to war against Ukraine in February 2022, 315,000 are said to have been injured or killed. This is according to a US intelligence analysis published a few days ago. According to this, the losses are 87% of the original army - hardly any of the fighters from the early days are still uninjured or at least alive.

The pressure that is currently forcing commanders into battles with heavy losses is coming directly from Moscow. The news that Avdiivka, a Ukrainian city, has been captured would be very convenient for President Vladimir Putin to be able to present the Russian population with a measurable military success in Ukraine before the "elections" next spring.

Russia wants to sow doubt in the West

The Kremlin is also calculating that the West could lose interest in supporting the Ukrainian troops if they can no longer demonstrate any successes on the battlefield. After the failed summer offensive, pessimism is spreading in the supporting states. Doubts are being raised as to whether Ukraine is even militarily capable of defeating Russia. No price is apparently too high for Putin to drive public opinion in the West in this direction. According to an analysis by German security expert Nico Lange, the real situation for Kiev's troops is better than often portrayed.

"Many people forget that the majority of the tanks and infantry fighting vehicles still exist and that a lot of the promised weapons are still being delivered," political consultant Lange told the newspaper Die Welt. These include 200 German Leopard-1 tanks. Only 30 of these 200 have arrived in Ukraine so far.

Western air defense equipment is currently proving its worth in the Ukrainian defensive campaign. President Volodymyr Zelenskyi counts the shooting down of ballistic missiles from Russia - i.e. those that do not have their own propulsion system - as one of the successes of the air defense system. "The Patriots, Nasams, Cheetahs and other systems provided by our partners work perfectly," said Zelensky in his video message on Saturday. At the same time, it is important to further improve the air defense over Ukraine, which is a topic in almost every one of his contacts with foreign partners.

In recent nights, Russia has also attacked with swarms of combat drones. As was the case last winter, the targets are often energy supply facilities. However, Ukraine's air defense is also much better equipped against drones this winter. According to the president, 104 of 112 attacking Shahed drones were intercepted in one week. Nevertheless, according to civilian authorities, there were dozens of casualties and damage - including in Kiev.