In nearly a year of fighting in the war in Ukraine, close to 100,000 have died or been wounded 180,000 soldiers from the Russian army and 100,000 from the Ukrainian side, not counting the 30,000 civilians killed, the Norwegian army chief calculated on Sunday.
“Russian losses are starting to approach 180,000 soldiers killed or wounded,” Norwegian Chief of General Staff Erik Kristoffersen said in an interview with TV2, without specifying the origin of these figures. Norway, which borders Russia, is a member of NATO since its founding in 1949.
“Ukrainian losses are probably over 100,000 killed or wounded. In addition, there are about 30,000 civilians in Ukraine who have died in this terrible war,” the Norwegian general added. For months, Russia and Ukraine have not provided reliable data on the number of victims. In November, US Army chief Mark Milley said the Russian army had suffered losses of more than 100,000 killed or wounded, and that the Ukrainian side had “probably” suffered similar losses. This data cannot be independently verified.
Despite his heavy losses”Russia is in a position to continue for some time“, the Norwegian chief of staff also said on Sunday, referring to Moscow’s mobilization and weapons capabilities. “What worries me the most is whether Ukraine will be able to keep the Russian air force out of the war”, after so far they were largely kept at bay thanks to Ukrainian air defenses.
In recent months, most Russian strikes were made with long-range missiles. The Norwegian general also called for the rapid delivery of battle tanks to Ukraine, an issue that has so far been championed mainly by Germany. “If they want to go on the offensive in the winter, they need them quickly,” Erik Kristoffersen told TV2. Despite urgent appeals by Ukraine and several European countries, Berlin refused to deliver its Leopard tanks to Kyiv on Friday.
Heavy tanks are located in the composition of several other European countries, including Norway, but their delivery to Ukraine is theoretically subject to German approval.
