Ukraine claims over 12,000 Russian soldiers killed in war

By Ruslan Rehimov

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) – Ukraine claimed on Tuesday that over 12,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since Russia attacked its neighbor on Feb. 24.

According to the Ukrainian General Staff, 48 Russian aircraft, 80 helicopters, 303 tanks, 1,036 armored vehicles, 120 cannons, 56 rocket launcher systems and 27 air defense systems were also destroyed.

Russia's war on Ukraine has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow, and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia. The West has also imposed biting export restrictions on key technologies that are now prohibited from being sent to Russia.

At least 406 civilians have been killed and 801 others injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to UN figures. But the international body has maintained that conditions on the ground have made it "difficult to verify" the true number of civilian casualties.

As many as 2 million people have fled to neighboring countries, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

Russian and Ukrainian delegations held a third round of negotiations in the Belarusian city of Brest on Monday, concluding with “small positive” developments regarding humanitarian corridors, according to a Ukrainian official.

*Writing by Merve Berker