Russia declares ‘first phase of war’ over.
More than 1,000 Russian soldiers have died during the military operation in Ukraine, Moscow announced on Friday, adding that 93% of the territory of Luhansk province has been “liberated” from the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR), while the so-called People’s Republic of Donetsk (DNR) has taken control over 54% in Donetsk province.
Russian news agencies quoted the defense ministry as saying that about 1,351 soldiers have been killed since the end of February.
“Unfortunately, during the special military operation there are losses among our comrades. “To date, 1,351 servicemen have died and 3,825 have been injured,” the statement said.
The ministry had earlier said that the main objectives of the first phase of Russia’s “special operation” in Ukraine had been completed.
However, according to Ukrainian information, they claim that about 15,600 Russian troops were killed in just one month of fighting – almost 15 times more than the number Russia declared.
The ministry claimed that there were many requests from Russians who wanted to take part in the “operation” in Ukraine.
“We have offered the leadership of the LNR and DNR to accept this assistance, but they said they would defend their own land,” the ministry claimed.
The ministry added that Russia will continue its operation until it achieves the goals set by President Vladimir Putin.
They did not rule out the possibility of an attack on Ukrainian cities that were blocked and that Russia would respond immediately to any attempt to close airspace over Ukraine – something Kiev has asked NATO to do, but NATO has resisted.
Russia sent tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine on February 24 in its “special operation” to weaken its southern neighbor’s military capabilities and to “eradicate” the people it called dangerous nationalists.
Ukrainian forces have mounted fierce resistance to the invasion, and the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in a bid to force it to withdraw its forces.