Russia has suffered ‘180,000 dead or wounded soldiers’ in Ukraine, general says

Joel Gehrke

January 23, 12:57 PM January 23, 12:57 PM

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Russia has sustained about “180,000 dead or wounded soldiers” during the war in Ukraine, a senior European general estimates, adding that Moscow’s mobilization of conscripts allows for a long war to come.

“They have lost a lot of tanks, armored material, and people,” Norwegian Chief of Defence Eirik Kristoffersen told a Norwegian broadcaster, according to an unofficial translation. “But Russia, at the same time, has an ability to produce more, extract material from its warehouses, and mobilize even more.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has touted those vast reservoirs of men and equipment as the key to an eventual Russian victory. Ukrainian and Western officials have acknowledged the threat that those mobilizing forces pose, creating a heightened sense of urgency to provide heavy weapons such as tanks and other armored vehicles for Ukraine to launch another offensive before Russia is prepared to unleash its own next strike.

“If they’re going to go on the offensive in the winter, [Ukrainians] need it fast,” Kristoffersen said.

GERMANY SAYS IT WON’T STOP POLAND FROM SENDING TANKS TO UKRAINE

German-made Leopard tanks stand as the most abundant and accessible Western main battle tanks, but German Chancellor Olaf Scholz resisted pressure to authorize their transfer to Ukraine ahead of a major defense conference last week.

“We have to fear that this war will go on for a very long time,” Scholz said Sunday after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

The recalcitrant chancellor has authority over not only Germany’s fleet of Leopard tanks but also the Leopards purchased by other European countries that want to send tanks to Ukraine but cannot do so without German permission. Germany has proven willing to provide infantry fighting vehicles, heavy artillery, and U.S.-made Patriot air defenses, but only in coordination with President Joe Biden’s decision to send equivalent systems.

The efficacy of Ukrainian air defenses could be even more consequential than access to tanks, Kristofferson implied.

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“The most worrying thing is whether Ukraine manages to keep the Russian air force out of the war,” the Norwegian general said. “We have not seen the great efforts of Russian air defense, thanks to the air defense that Ukraine has.”