Ukraine suffering substantial losses on all fronts, claims Russian Defence Ministry

Ukraine is suffering substantial losses on all fronts, Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov claimed on July 2, according to a media report. According to Konashenkov, three battalions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' 10th Mountain Assault Brigade and 72nd Mechanized Brigade lost more than half of their personnel in a single day near the Verkhnekamenka and Zolotarevka settlements, state-owned media agency TASS reported.

The media agency reported quoting the Russian Defence Minister as saying, "The enemy is facing significant losses on all fronts. Three battalions from the Tenth Mountain Assault Brigade and the 72nd Mechanized Brigade (of the Ukrainian Armed Forces) lost more than half of their personnel near the Verkhnekamenka and Zolotarevka settlements in just one day."

The Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv was rocked by powerful explosions July 2, according to the mayor, a day after authorities said at least 21 people were killed when Russian missiles struck an apartment building near the Black Sea port of Odessa. On July 1, explosions destroyed a section of an apartment building while residents slept, the latest in a string of what Ukraine claims are Russian missile attacks on civilians.

Russia-Ukraine War

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the strikes as "conscious, deliberately targeted Russian terror, not some sort of error or coincidental missile strike" in his nightly video address on July 1. According to Kyiv, Moscow has increased its long-range missile attacks, targeting civilian targets far from the frontlines. Russia claims to have targeted military installations. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, cited President Vladimir Putin's statements that "the Russian Armed Forces do not work with civilian targets."

Meanwhile, leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) met back-to-back last week, and following those meetings, the allies vowed to continue supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary, framing Russia's invasion as a greater threat to peace and stability in Europe and beyond.

Further, US President Joe Biden stated on June 30 that the America would soon announce an additional $800 million in arms assistance to Ukraine, bringing the total US contributions to Ukraine since he assumed office in January 2021 to close to $7 billion. In their efforts to oppose Russia, Western leaders have come under fire from Putin for having "imperial" ambitions.

Image: AP