Ukrainian air force, air defense system ‘almost completely destroyed,’ claims Russian military official
Some 14,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 16,000 wounded since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Monday.
The Russian armed forces gained air dominance and blocked the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mykolaiv, as well as Kherson and most of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Sergey Rudskoy, a senior Russian military official, said at a press briefing in Moscow.
The Ukrainian air force and air defense system have been “almost completely destroyed” and the country's navy ceased to exist, Rudskoy claimed.
All 16 Ukraine's military airfields, as well as 39 ammunition depots, where 70% of all military equipment were stored were hit, he went on to say.
"The Ukrainian army has no organized reserves left,” he claimed, adding that people and units of territorial defense are being mobilized to fight Russian troops.
According to him, “6,595 mercenaries from 62 states” are fighting for the Ukrainian side.
Rudskoy claimed that the Russian armed forces destroyed 1,587 of 2,416 Ukrainian tanks and other armored vehicles, 112 of 152 fighter jets, 75 of 149 helicopters, 148 of 180 S-300 and Buk M1 air defense systems, and 117 of 300 radars.
He warned that "the Russian military will immediately respond appropriately to attempts to close the airspace over Ukraine."
He said that the Russian military does not target the objects of Ukraine's civil infrastructure, claiming that 127 bridges, destroyed in the war zone, were blown up by the “Ukrainian nationalists” to deter the offensive.
Turning to the Russian losses, Rudskoy said 1,351 Russian troops were killed and 3,825 wounded.
He said that Russia gets applications from abroad from people who want to fight for the Russian side. In total, he claimed, over 23,000 foreigners from 37 countries asked about such a possibility.
"In general, the main tasks of the first stage of the operation have been completed. The combat potential of the armed forces of Ukraine has been significantly reduced, which allows us to focus on achieving the main goal – the liberation of Donbass," Rudskoy said.
"Nationalist formations, such as Azov, Aidar, Right Sector became the striking force of the Kyiv regime," he added.
Russia began its war Feb. 24. It has been met with international outrage, with the EU, US, and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.
At least 1,081 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 1,707 injured, according to UN estimates, while cautioning that the true figure is likely far higher.
More than 3.7 million Ukrainians have also fled to neighboring countries, with over 6.5 million more displaced inside the country, according to the UN refugee agency.
According to the Ukrainian military on Thursday, some 15,800 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war.
