Russia-Ukraine War: American intelligence claimed today (Saturday) that the number of dead on the Russian side since the beginning of the war is 180,000, and that the Russian army has lost more than 2,000 tanks. American intelligence sources also said that the number of wounded soldiers in the Russian army now stands at more than 100,000. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, stated that “Russia suffered a tremendous amount of casualties.”
The information from American intelligence sources comes after it was reported that the United States is changing its strategy towards Russia in the war. The United States has insisted for years that the Crimean Peninsula is part of Ukraine, despite the Russian annexation. However, the Biden administration has maintained a hard line since the war began and refuses to provide Kiev with The supply of the necessary weapons to Kiev in order to operate in the disputed peninsula.
But now the American position seems to be softening. After months of discussions with Ukrainian officials, the Biden administration is admitting for the first time that Kyiv may need force to attack the Russian stronghold, even if such a move would increase the risk of escalation, this evening (Wednesday) was reported in the American newspaper New York Times by several American officials.
The Biden administration believes that strengthening the Ukrainian army could allow it to threaten Russian control of the peninsula, thereby also strengthening its position in any future negotiations. In addition, the White House estimates that the Kremlin’s threats to use nuclear weapons are not realistic but exist. As a result, the Biden administration is considering how to help Ukraine attack the peninsula.
Ukrainian army (Photo: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported that the head of the CIA, William Burns, arrived last weekend secretly in Ukraine in order to present to President Volodymyr Zelensky an intelligence picture of Russia’s military planning in the coming months. Senior intelligence officials at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense raised in the meeting the fear of a decrease in military aid, this against the background of the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives and the decrease in public opinion support in the US in recent times.
Meanwhile, Russia is interested in launching a broad offensive this spring, and is raising expectations that it will mobilize about 300,000 additional soldiers. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu unveiled in December the proposal to increase the military’s personnel to 1.5 million soldiers by 2026, compared to 1.1 million now. Moscow, which recruited convicted criminals for the war effort, showed a willingness to suffer heavy losses. Last year, many of the recruits were inexperienced and received little training before being taken to the front. But in recent months, Russia has improved its training, according to Western intelligence sources.