Ukraine lost 4,000 troops in recent fighting, says Russia

By Ali Cura

MOSCOW (AA) - Moscow has claimed that 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers lost their lives in Russian offensives from Sept. 6 to 10, according to a spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday.

“In total, only in these two directions from September 6 to September 10, the losses of the Kiev (Kyiv) regime reached over 4,000 killed and more than 8,000 wounded,” reported Russia's state-run news agency TASS citing Igor Konashenkov.

The casualties occurred in the regions of Kharkhiv and Nikolaevo-Krivoy Rog, the statement added.

Fighting in Ukraine has resumed with both sides claiming they have taken control of wide swaths of territory.

On Saturday, Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian army had withdrawn from the cities of Izyum and Balakliya in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine.

A Ukrainian official said on Saturday that the Ukrainian army is advancing in Russian-held regions in the South.

Ukraine’s forces have advanced "dozens of kilometers" on the southern frontline, Nataliya Gumenyuk, the head of the Press Service of Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces, told local media.