Russia has lost nearly half its main battle tanks, report estimates
Russia is estimated to have lost nearly half its main battle tanks in its war in Ukraine, according to a new analysis by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Almost a year of war has “significantly” changed Russia’s inventory, with losses of around 50 percent of its T-72 tanks, the London-based institute said. Its assessment said the Russian army has lost nearly 40 percent of its broader prewar fleet of tanks, including models older and more modern than the T-72, with the fog of war making it difficult to determine figures beyond estimates. The T-72 is by far the most common tank in Russia’s arsenal.
Despite the losses, Moscow maintains a sizable reserve of older tanks that could allow its forces to press on.
Read the full story here.
Russia is estimated to have lost nearly half its main battle tanks in its war in Ukraine, according to a new analysis by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Almost a year of war has “significantly” changed Russia’s inventory, with losses of around 50 percent of its T-72 tanks, the London-based institute said. Its assessment said the Russian army has lost nearly 40 percent of its broader prewar fleet of tanks, including models older and more modern than the T-72, with the fog of war making it difficult to determine figures beyond estimates. The T-72 is by far the most common tank in Russia’s arsenal.
Despite the losses, Moscow maintains a sizable reserve of older tanks that could allow its forces to press on.
Read the full story here.
Analysis: A year after invasion, has Russia already lost?
Western politicians, military leaders and diplomats are convening with one goal at the top of their agenda: Russian defeat. This year’s edition of the Munich Security Conference comes almost a year since the Kremlin unleashed its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, flaring an open war on the European continent that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions, devastated Ukrainian cities and wrought billions of dollars in damage. The war has galvanized the geopolitical West and led to an emboldened and soon-to-be enlarged NATO.
U.S. and European officials are publicly bullish. On Saturday in Munich, Vice President Harris is expected to give an address that will “convey the continuing U.S. commitment to Ukraine,” my colleagues reported, and assure Kyiv that the vital U.S. support and coordination that has sustained Ukraine’s efforts to repulse Russia’s invasion will endure.
Read the full analysis here.
Western politicians, military leaders and diplomats are convening with one goal at the top of their agenda: Russian defeat. This year’s edition of the Munich Security Conference comes almost a year since the Kremlin unleashed its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, flaring an open war on the European continent that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced millions, devastated Ukrainian cities and wrought billions of dollars in damage. The war has galvanized the geopolitical West and led to an emboldened and soon-to-be enlarged NATO.
U.S. and European officials are publicly bullish. On Saturday in Munich, Vice President Harris is expected to give an address that will “convey the continuing U.S. commitment to Ukraine,” my colleagues reported, and assure Kyiv that the vital U.S. support and coordination that has sustained Ukraine’s efforts to repulse Russia’s invasion will endure.
Read the full analysis here.
At awkward meeting, Putin and Lukashenko avoid the war, stress economic ties
A week before the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the leaders of Russia and Belarus, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, met in Moscow on Friday. They mostly avoided discussion of the war — a sign of their awkward alliance, and even more awkward political relationship.
A year ago, Putin used Russian forces stationed in Belarus to launch his ultimately catastrophic attempt to conquer, Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. Lukashenko, however, has resisted any pressure to deploy his own troops to Ukraine.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Europe to “strategically pull together” on an armaments policy.
- Russian forces and allied mercenaries may have suffered up to 200,000 casualties in Ukraine since the war began, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Friday, putting the number of estimated deaths at between 40,000 and 60,000.
Read the full story here.
A week before the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the leaders of Russia and Belarus, Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, met in Moscow on Friday. They mostly avoided discussion of the war — a sign of their awkward alliance, and even more awkward political relationship.
A year ago, Putin used Russian forces stationed in Belarus to launch his ultimately catastrophic attempt to conquer, Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. Lukashenko, however, has resisted any pressure to deploy his own troops to Ukraine.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Europe to “strategically pull together” on an armaments policy.
- Russian forces and allied mercenaries may have suffered up to 200,000 casualties in Ukraine since the war began, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Friday, putting the number of estimated deaths at between 40,000 and 60,000.
Read the full story here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
— The first Ukrainian unit to undergo U.S. combat training in Germany has completed its course, the Pentagon said, and will soon return to the battlefield ahead of an anticipated Russian offensive in the spring. Ukrainian forces are being trained to use the more advanced equipment pledged by the Biden administration.
— Global political and defense leaders, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Vice President Harris — who will make public remarks Saturday — are in Munich for a security conference focused heavily on the war in Ukraine.
— Russia’s Wagner Group has suffered more than 30,000 casualties fighting in Ukraine, according to the White House, including approximately 9,000 who were killed in action. About half of those who died from the mercenary group were killed since mid-December amid heavy fighting near Bakhmut, a National Security Council official, John Kirby, said at a briefing.
Read more updates.
— The first Ukrainian unit to undergo U.S. combat training in Germany has completed its course, the Pentagon said, and will soon return to the battlefield ahead of an anticipated Russian offensive in the spring. Ukrainian forces are being trained to use the more advanced equipment pledged by the Biden administration.
— Global political and defense leaders, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Vice President Harris — who will make public remarks Saturday — are in Munich for a security conference focused heavily on the war in Ukraine.
— Russia’s Wagner Group has suffered more than 30,000 casualties fighting in Ukraine, according to the White House, including approximately 9,000 who were killed in action. About half of those who died from the mercenary group were killed since mid-December amid heavy fighting near Bakhmut, a National Security Council official, John Kirby, said at a briefing.
Read more updates.
As Russians inch forward near Bakhmut, Ukrainians dig fallback defenses
ORIKHOVO-VASYLIVKA, Ukraine — The closest Ukrainian artillery position to the raging battle for Bakhmut is tucked into a leafless tree line about 13,000 feet from the enemy. The fighters here have been hanging on for weeks, lobbing 122mm shells at the Russians straining to encircle the city. If the Russians push even a bit closer, the Ukrainians will have to move their guns back simply to keep from firing over the enemy’s heads, the platoon leader said Tuesday.
“Today we are still holding them, but it is very dynamic,” said Oleksander, an officer in the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade whom The Washington Post is identifying only by his first name to protect his safety. “It can change in a day.”
But even if the Russians move forward, they will not get far, he said. Combat earthmovers were digging new trench lines on a ridge just a few hundred yards farther west.
Read the full story here.
ORIKHOVO-VASYLIVKA, Ukraine — The closest Ukrainian artillery position to the raging battle for Bakhmut is tucked into a leafless tree line about 13,000 feet from the enemy. The fighters here have been hanging on for weeks, lobbing 122mm shells at the Russians straining to encircle the city. If the Russians push even a bit closer, the Ukrainians will have to move their guns back simply to keep from firing over the enemy’s heads, the platoon leader said Tuesday.
“Today we are still holding them, but it is very dynamic,” said Oleksander, an officer in the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade whom The Washington Post is identifying only by his first name to protect his safety. “It can change in a day.”
But even if the Russians move forward, they will not get far, he said. Combat earthmovers were digging new trench lines on a ridge just a few hundred yards farther west.
Read the full story here.
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Russia has committed 'crimes against humanity’ in Ukraine, Harris declares
MUNICH — Vice President Harris said Saturday that the U.S. believes strongly that Russia has committed crimes against humanity and needs to be held to account for ghastly actions that have been described in intelligence reports and international headlines, including bombing a maternity hospital, forcibly relocating and “reeducating” Ukrainian children, and, just months ago, the suspected sexual assault of a 4-year-old girl.
“In the case of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, we have examined the evidence, we know the legal standards, and there is no doubt: These are crimes against humanity,” Harris said.
Speaking in moral terms a year after Russia invaded Ukraine, Harris told diplomatic, intelligence and defense leaders gathered at the Munich Security Conference that the world has a humanitarian and strategic interest in continued support of the besieged nation.
Read the full story here.
MUNICH — Vice President Harris said Saturday that the U.S. believes strongly that Russia has committed crimes against humanity and needs to be held to account for ghastly actions that have been described in intelligence reports and international headlines, including bombing a maternity hospital, forcibly relocating and “reeducating” Ukrainian children, and, just months ago, the suspected sexual assault of a 4-year-old girl.
“In the case of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, we have examined the evidence, we know the legal standards, and there is no doubt: These are crimes against humanity,” Harris said.
Speaking in moral terms a year after Russia invaded Ukraine, Harris told diplomatic, intelligence and defense leaders gathered at the Munich Security Conference that the world has a humanitarian and strategic interest in continued support of the besieged nation.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest from Ukraine:
- The Netherlands is limiting the number of Kremlin diplomats allowed there, and it’s closing the Russian trade office in Amsterdam, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra tweeted Saturday afternoon.
- The United States has determined that Russia committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, also in Munich, said in a statement Saturday.
- Vice President Harris accused Moscow of undertaking a “widespread and systemic attack against a civilian population,” and she cited deadly attacks in Bucha and Mariupol as she vowed continued U.S. support for Ukraine.
- The West is struggling to find the ammunition Ukraine needs to fight Russia, a consequence of decades of wishful thinking that war would not return to Europe, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said at the conference.
More live updates here.
- The Netherlands is limiting the number of Kremlin diplomats allowed there, and it’s closing the Russian trade office in Amsterdam, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra tweeted Saturday afternoon.
- The United States has determined that Russia committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, also in Munich, said in a statement Saturday.
- Vice President Harris accused Moscow of undertaking a “widespread and systemic attack against a civilian population,” and she cited deadly attacks in Bucha and Mariupol as she vowed continued U.S. support for Ukraine.
- The West is struggling to find the ammunition Ukraine needs to fight Russia, a consequence of decades of wishful thinking that war would not return to Europe, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said at the conference.
More live updates here.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
— Ukraine is dominating the agenda at the Munich Security Conference. Vice President Harris reaffirmed the Biden administration’s commitment to supporting Kyiv and, in her address to the annual gathering of officials from across the world, accused Russia of committing “crimes against humanity” in Ukraine.
—In an interview airing Sunday with CBS’s Margaret Brennan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken again warned that China is considering providing “lethal support” to Russia, including weapons and ammunition. Blinken met with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, and said he cautioned Wang that there would be “serious consequences” if Beijing aids Moscow with munitions or helps the Kremlin evade sanctions.
— The West is showing Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine’s allies will not “lose our nerve,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the security conference. I
More live updates.
— Ukraine is dominating the agenda at the Munich Security Conference. Vice President Harris reaffirmed the Biden administration’s commitment to supporting Kyiv and, in her address to the annual gathering of officials from across the world, accused Russia of committing “crimes against humanity” in Ukraine.
—In an interview airing Sunday with CBS’s Margaret Brennan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken again warned that China is considering providing “lethal support” to Russia, including weapons and ammunition. Blinken met with China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, and said he cautioned Wang that there would be “serious consequences” if Beijing aids Moscow with munitions or helps the Kremlin evade sanctions.
— The West is showing Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine’s allies will not “lose our nerve,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the security conference. I
More live updates.
While world leaders meet in Munich, anti-war demonstrators gather outside
MUNICH — Inside the meeting halls of the luxury Bayerische Hof hotel in Munich world leaders on Saturday pledged to step up military support for Ukraine. But on the streets outside thousands called for them to end it.
It was a reminder of the divisions that cleave Germany, where just over half the population supports arming Ukraine. Around 10,000 demonstrators gathered at the southern German city’s majestic Königsplatz — one of more than a dozen demonstrations across the city — with the crowd including a mix of far-right and far-left, peaceniks and pro-Russian citizens.
A few carried Russian flags, but most prominent on signs was the anti-NATO and anti-American sentiment that has long bubbled on Germany’s fringes and has become more prominent over the course of the war, fueled by Russian propaganda.
Read the full story here.
MUNICH — Inside the meeting halls of the luxury Bayerische Hof hotel in Munich world leaders on Saturday pledged to step up military support for Ukraine. But on the streets outside thousands called for them to end it.
It was a reminder of the divisions that cleave Germany, where just over half the population supports arming Ukraine. Around 10,000 demonstrators gathered at the southern German city’s majestic Königsplatz — one of more than a dozen demonstrations across the city — with the crowd including a mix of far-right and far-left, peaceniks and pro-Russian citizens.
A few carried Russian flags, but most prominent on signs was the anti-NATO and anti-American sentiment that has long bubbled on Germany’s fringes and has become more prominent over the course of the war, fueled by Russian propaganda.
Read the full story here.
Over 30,000 Wagner Group fighters killed or injured in Ukraine, U.S. says
More than 30,000 members of the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary outfit, have been injured or killed in Ukraine, the White House estimates. Of those, about 9,000 were killed in action, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing Friday.
Wagner — which was founded by tycoon Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin — has been in the spotlight in recent months for its gains in the town of Soledar and its efforts in the pitched battle for the town of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s east. The group was designated a transnational criminal organization by the United States in January.
Of the 9,000 or so mercenaries killed, half lost their lives in the two months since mid-December, Kirby said.
Read the full story here.
More than 30,000 members of the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary outfit, have been injured or killed in Ukraine, the White House estimates. Of those, about 9,000 were killed in action, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing Friday.
Wagner — which was founded by tycoon Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin — has been in the spotlight in recent months for its gains in the town of Soledar and its efforts in the pitched battle for the town of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s east. The group was designated a transnational criminal organization by the United States in January.
Of the 9,000 or so mercenaries killed, half lost their lives in the two months since mid-December, Kirby said.
Read the full story here.
Biden makes surprise trip to Ukraine ahead of Russian invasion anniversary
KYIV, Ukraine — President Biden made a dramatic, unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday, in a display of strong American support for Ukraine just four days before the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The high-risk visit, to a Ukrainian capital that has been under threat of missile attacks, signals continued commitment from the United States, the largest financial and military backer of Ukraine’s effort to repel Russian invaders from its territory.
Biden was spotted outside St. Michael Golden-Domed Monastery with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian capital was in a tight security lockdown with car traffic halted and even pedestrians blocked from certain streets. Shortly afterward, an air raid siren went off in the city.
Read the full story here.
KYIV, Ukraine — President Biden made a dramatic, unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday, in a display of strong American support for Ukraine just four days before the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The high-risk visit, to a Ukrainian capital that has been under threat of missile attacks, signals continued commitment from the United States, the largest financial and military backer of Ukraine’s effort to repel Russian invaders from its territory.
Biden was spotted outside St. Michael Golden-Domed Monastery with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian capital was in a tight security lockdown with car traffic halted and even pedestrians blocked from certain streets. Shortly afterward, an air raid siren went off in the city.
Read the full story here.
Here is the latest about President Biden's visit to Ukraine:
- In President Biden’s statement, released early Monday just as he was first spotted walking with Zelensky in Kyiv, he said he traveled to Ukraine’s capital to reaffirm Washington’s “unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity” ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24.
- Biden said he will announce “another delivery of critical equipment, including artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems, and air surveillance radars” to Ukraine, as well as new U.S. sanctions against “elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine.”
- Andriy Yermak, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said that President Biden’s visit to Kyiv was “strategic” and that during the trip, a “lot of issues are being resolved and those that have been pending will be expedited.”
Follow our live updates here.
- In President Biden’s statement, released early Monday just as he was first spotted walking with Zelensky in Kyiv, he said he traveled to Ukraine’s capital to reaffirm Washington’s “unwavering and unflagging commitment to Ukraine’s democracy, sovereignty, and territorial integrity” ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24.
- Biden said he will announce “another delivery of critical equipment, including artillery ammunition, anti-armor systems, and air surveillance radars” to Ukraine, as well as new U.S. sanctions against “elites and companies that are trying to evade or backfill Russia’s war machine.”
- Andriy Yermak, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said that President Biden’s visit to Kyiv was “strategic” and that during the trip, a “lot of issues are being resolved and those that have been pending will be expedited.”
Follow our live updates here.
What we know so far about Biden’s secretive trip to Kyiv
President Biden’s Monday-morning arrival in Kyiv surprised all but a few officials and journalists who were clued in to the trip before it happened.
Journalists traveling with Biden cannot provide real-time updates of his visit because of security concerns, but they relayed what led to the Presidents Day arrival.
Here is what we know so far about how the trip unfolded, based on reports from the journalists traveling with him and statements from White House officials.
President Biden’s Monday-morning arrival in Kyiv surprised all but a few officials and journalists who were clued in to the trip before it happened.
Journalists traveling with Biden cannot provide real-time updates of his visit because of security concerns, but they relayed what led to the Presidents Day arrival.
Here is what we know so far about how the trip unfolded, based on reports from the journalists traveling with him and statements from White House officials.
Here's the latest from Ukraine:
- The new U.S. assistance to Ukraine announced in Kyiv by President Biden will comprise a $450 million military aid package to Ukraine and $10 million to support the country’s energy infrastructure, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
- Britain’s Defense Ministry said Russia is likely to claim that its forces captured Bakhmut “regardless of the reality on the ground” to align with the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine this week.
- A much-anticipated major Russian offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region is underway, according to analysts at the Institute for the Study of War.
- Reactions at home to Biden’s surprise stop in Kyiv rippled across social media Monday. His visit drew praise among Democrats, while some Republicans criticized it, seeking to cast the trip to the war-torn country as Biden ignoring domestic problems.
More live updates here.
- The new U.S. assistance to Ukraine announced in Kyiv by President Biden will comprise a $450 million military aid package to Ukraine and $10 million to support the country’s energy infrastructure, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
- Britain’s Defense Ministry said Russia is likely to claim that its forces captured Bakhmut “regardless of the reality on the ground” to align with the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine this week.
- A much-anticipated major Russian offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region is underway, according to analysts at the Institute for the Study of War.
- Reactions at home to Biden’s surprise stop in Kyiv rippled across social media Monday. His visit drew praise among Democrats, while some Republicans criticized it, seeking to cast the trip to the war-torn country as Biden ignoring domestic problems.
More live updates here.
Cloak-and-dagger moves allow Biden to sneak into Ukraine’s war zone
WARSAW — As President Biden stepped out of a golden-domed church during his unannounced, high-stakes trip to Kyiv — a city under regular bombardment from Russian forces — an air-raid siren abruptly went off, signaling that a Russian military jet armed with missiles had taken off from its home territory.
The plane ultimately did not pose a threat to Biden’s location; U.S. officials had tried to reduce the risks by taking the extraordinary step of informing Moscow of Biden’s planned visit ahead of time. But the shrill alarm was a reminder of the peril of an American president visiting a war-besieged capital in a region where military groups and mercenaries are not known for following the rules.
Among the striking features of the whirlwind visit was Biden’s use of a train that had been set aside for him to get in and out of Ukraine, a necessity given the dangers of traversing Ukrainian airspace.
Read the full story here.
WARSAW — As President Biden stepped out of a golden-domed church during his unannounced, high-stakes trip to Kyiv — a city under regular bombardment from Russian forces — an air-raid siren abruptly went off, signaling that a Russian military jet armed with missiles had taken off from its home territory.
The plane ultimately did not pose a threat to Biden’s location; U.S. officials had tried to reduce the risks by taking the extraordinary step of informing Moscow of Biden’s planned visit ahead of time. But the shrill alarm was a reminder of the peril of an American president visiting a war-besieged capital in a region where military groups and mercenaries are not known for following the rules.
Among the striking features of the whirlwind visit was Biden’s use of a train that had been set aside for him to get in and out of Ukraine, a necessity given the dangers of traversing Ukrainian airspace.
Read the full story here.
One-year mark of Ukraine invasion looms large over Biden’s Poland trip
WARSAW — President Biden is in Poland ahead of the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, seeking to applaud the global coalition that has helped thwart Russia’s military ambitions and also shoring up an alliance threatened by shifting political winds and fatigue with the war effort.
Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks here Tuesday ahead of the Feb. 24 anniversary of Russia’s invasion, stressing that the United States will stand with Ukraine for “as long as it takes,” a White House spokesman said.
Biden’s speech will follow his surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday.
Read the full story here.
WARSAW — President Biden is in Poland ahead of the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, seeking to applaud the global coalition that has helped thwart Russia’s military ambitions and also shoring up an alliance threatened by shifting political winds and fatigue with the war effort.
Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks here Tuesday ahead of the Feb. 24 anniversary of Russia’s invasion, stressing that the United States will stand with Ukraine for “as long as it takes,” a White House spokesman said.
Biden’s speech will follow his surprise visit to Kyiv on Monday.
Read the full story here.