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- Russian losses are approaching a quarter of a million
- Putin warns of consequences of Ukraine joining NATO
Russian losses are approaching a quarter of a million
Russia has lost more than 236,000 troops since the war in Ukraine began in February last year. This was reported by the Ukrainian General Staff. 550 Russian soldiers are said to have died in the past 24 hours. The numbers cannot be independently confirmed.
Both Russia and Ukraine exaggerate the number of enemy soldiers killed and cover up their own losses. Russia has not released figures since September last year. Western estimates speak of about 150,000 soldiers killed or wounded on both sides.
Russian online media Mediazona, together with the BBC, investigated the Russian leaks. They managed to identify 22,600 fallen Russian soldiers.
Putin warns of consequences of Ukraine joining NATO
Russian President Putin has responded to Ukraine’s NATO plans. With Ukraine joining the military alliance, the world would become “much more vulnerable” and Ukraine’s own security wouldn’t be much better, according to Putin.
Furthermore, according to Putin, a NATO membership for Ukraine will lead to “further international tensions”. “You should think about the nuclear weapons that have been planted in Belarus,” Bosman says. According to him, Putin could also make greater efforts to further militarize Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania, or place more weapons on the border with Sweden and Finland.
Putin: ‘Global tensions are getting worse’
If Ukraine joined NATO, it would only make the world more vulnerable, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. At a summit in Vilnius this week, NATO promised closer integration with Kiev and the country promised eventual membership after the war with Russia ends.
“I am sure this will not help the security of Ukraine itself, it will make the world much more vulnerable and lead to further tensions in the international arena,” Putin said. One of Putin’s reasons for invading his neighbor in February 2022 was to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO.
This live blog is based on reports from our correspondents and editors BNR, The Guardian, ANP, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Associated Press, CNN, BBC, CNBC, Sky News and Agence France-Presse. BNR also uses online reports from news agencies Tass, RIA Novosti and Interfax (Russia) and Belta (Belarus). Since the reporting of these agencies is not verifiable and cannot be qualified as independent, in these cases the source of the report is explicitly stated.