A Ukrainian soldier takes cover during heavy fighting at the front line in Severodonetsk, Luhansk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, June 8, 2022.
Oleksandr Ratushniak/Associated Press
- A Ukrainian military commander has told Sky News that 80% of his original troops have been killed or injured.
- The battle-hardened, elite unit had fought together since 2018, he told Sky News.
- If he could sustain these losses for much longer, he said, “It’s hard but we have no choice.”
A Ukrainian military commander has told Sky News that 80% of troops have been killed or injured in his elite marines unit.
The commander, Oleksandr, told the news site that his unit was “100% made up of professional soldiers who have a lot of experience. Now, 80% are incapacitated from serious injuries or death.”
He told Sky News that his team has been fighting together since 2018.
Oleksander spoke near the city of Severodonetsk where a bloody battle between Russian and Ukrainian forces lasted several weeks.
The city has now been seized by Russian forces.
A man rides a bicycle among debris in Lysychansk, near Severodonetsk, on June 21, 2022,
ANATOLII STEPANOV/AFP via Getty Images
Asked if he’s able to sustain these losses for much longer, he said “It’s hard. It’s hard but we have no choice.”
Zelenskyy has recently sounded the alarm that Ukraine is losing up to 100 soldiers a day.
It is reported that Russia is also losing large numbers of troops, with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying that the invasion is losing its “forward momentum.”
“Our defense intelligence service believes, however, that in the next few months, Russia could come to a point at which there is no longer any forward momentum because it has exhausted its resources,” he said.
Speaking anonymously to The Washington Post, a senior Western official said that “There will come a time when the tiny advances Russia is making become unsustainable in light of the costs and they will need a significant pause to regenerate capability.”
