Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said Thursday that the Ukrainian Army has lost 246 tanks during its counteroffensive.
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Between June 4 and June 21, the Russian Armed Forces destroyed 246 Ukrainian tanks, including 13 supplied by the West, according to the Russian official, who said that the casualties of Ukrainian troops during the counteroffensive amount to 13 000.
The senior official added that the Russian Army has destroyed 595 armored fighting vehicles, 279 combat artillery guns and mortars, 42 multiple rocket launchers, and two anti-aircraft missile systems, in addition to four helicopters, 264 unmanned aerial vehicles, and 424 units of automotive equipment.
His remarks came at a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the permanent members of the Security Council. On the occasion, Putin said that it is possible for the West to “supply additional hardware, but the mobilization reserve is not infinite.”
“It seems that Ukraine’s Western allies have indeed decided to fight Russia to the last Ukrainian,” the president said.
������⚔️��☠️������☠️⚔️⤵️Kiev regime’s losses indicate West intends to fight Russia until last Ukrainian — Putin: The West can supply additional military equipment to Ukraine but it does not have an endless amount of manpower to work with, meaning Western countries intend to fight Russia… pic.twitter.com/JuKsXcOnva
— ��World News 24 ������ (@DailyWorld24)
June 22, 2023
The Russian president also said that the Kiev army’s reserves “have not been exhausted” and warned Russian commanders to “take this into account when planning combat operations.”
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, for his part, said about the progress of the special operation that the Ukrainian army has suffered “significant losses in both equipment and personnel” and has reduced its activity.
According to the minister, Kiev has forces to carry out new offensive actions with the continued arms supplies from the West, although the development of the special operation will not be affected, Shoigu said.
Shoigu added that Russian military reserves as part of a separate army will be completed by the end of June. A separate army corps, already more than 60 percent staffed in five regiments, will also be completed shortly, the official said.