Ukraine

Nearly 5,500 Russians Killed Last Week in War: Defense Ministry

The daily and weekly death toll of Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine keeps rapidly climbing, the defense department in Ukraine claims. More than 5,000 Russian soldiers died within the last week alone, the Ukraine Ministry of Defense posted.

As the war rapidly approaches its one-year mark next month, the estimated death count of Russians keeps mounting higher by the week. So far, there have been more than 125,000 dead Russian soldiers since the war began in late February 2022.

Ukraine's Ministry of Defense posted Saturday that another 800 Russian soldiers had been killed the previous day, bringing that estimated total to 125,510 deaths. According to the ministry's numbers, there have been 5,350 casualties within the last seven days. Here are those figures:

• January 22: 600
• January 23: 720
• January 24: 690
• January 25: 910
• January 26: 780
• January 27: 850
• January 28: 800

That's just over 764 Russian casualties per day in the last week. In addition Saturday, Russia lost seven tanks, eight more artillery vehicles, six drones and 26 more vehicle and fuel tanks the previous day.

Russia, despite many losses in the war now in its 12th month, has shifted focus to eastern and southern Ukraine. That includes a strong presence in the Black Sea.

Russia reportedly has three vessels in the Black Sea capable of firing the Kalibr cruise missiles. The Kyiv Independent states that these ships have 20 such missiles on them, and that there are 16 Russian warships positioned in the Black Sea ready to strike at a moment's notice.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has successfully gained a swath of tanks and some air defense systems from western allies that will soon arrive, and now he has reportedly asked the West for fighter jets.

Ukraine is looking for more support to protect itself from things like Kh-22 missiles, which destroyed Dnipro two weeks ago.

Ukraine's office of the Prosecutor General said it was Russia's 52nd Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment.

"According to preliminary information, the Kh-22 missile was used. This type of missile leads to the greatest human casualties, because the missile is extremely inaccurate, has a huge deviation. Therefore, the use of such weapons for targets in densely populated areas is clearly a war crime," the Ukraine office said in a Telegram post. "This type of rocket was used in Sergiivka and Kremenchuk. It can be launched by a single Russian unit - the 52nd Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment."

The Kh-22 missiles were largely responsible for massive destruction and deaths Saturday in Dnipro, located in the contentious Eastern Ukraine, where Russia has already occupied many territories and battles to save that territory.

Newsweek reached out to Russia's Defense Ministry for comment.