John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, the Biden administration calculates that since December, Russia has sustained 100,000 casualties, in Ukraine including more than 20,000 fatalities.

He calculates that almost half of those slain were soldiers from the Wagner Group, a private military firm actively engaged in the bloody battle for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. 

Ukraine Puts Effort to Control Their Forces

The area around Bakhmut, where Wagner and other forces are engaged in house-to-house combat with Ukrainian forces in an effort to seize control of the last western road that is still in Ukrainian hands and is therefore crucial for supplies and new troops, has seen the fiercest fighting in the eastern province.

After months of combat and significant losses, Kirby concluded that Russia’s effort had failed.

He continued by saying that despite its military efforts, Russia had failed to seize any strategically significant territory.

Russia’s military resources have been depleted, as have its armed forces. 

In the wee hours of Monday, Moscow conducted a second round of widespread missile attacks as Ukraine was preparing for a new counteroffensive to reclaim an area taken by Russia.

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Missile Attacks Caused Deaths And Injuries in Ukraine

Russian missile attacks on the eastern city of Pavlohrad resulted in the deaths of two persons and 40 injuries despite Ukrainian air defenses downing 15 of the 18 missiles fired by Russia, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday.

Bridget Brink, the US ambassador in Kiev, referred to the Russian missile attack that occurred overnight as barbaric and denounced it.

Again, in the dead of night, Russia launched missiles against Ukrainian cities where citizens, particularly children, ought to be able to snooze comfortably and soundly.

When asked about the timing of the country’s anticipated spring counteroffensive, Kirby deferred to Ukraine, saying that the “US is focused on making sure that we’re helping them be as ready as they can be for whenever they choose to step off, including giving them more weapons. ” 

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