There was also reportedly bipartisan support for sending ATACMS long-range missiles to Ukraine.
Russian casualties and wounded have exceeded 75,000, Biden administration officials told US Congress members today in a classified briefing, CNN reported on Wednesday.
“We were briefed that over 75,000 Russians have either been killed or wounded, which is huge, you’ve got incredible amounts of investment in their land forces, over 80% of their land forces are bogged down, and they’re tired. But they’re still the Russian military.”
Rep. Elissa Slotkin
“We were briefed that over 75,000 Russians have either been killed or wounded, which is huge, you’ve got incredible amounts of investment in their land forces, over 80% of their land forces are bogged down, and they’re tired,” Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan told CNN. “But they’re still the Russian military.”
The Ukrainian military claimed in a Thursday morning update that around 40,230 Russian military casualties since the war began.
Last week, a senior US defense official said that the United States believes that Russian forces are suffering hundreds of casualties daily in the war, including thousands of lieutenants and captains.
Newsweek reported Thursday that roughly half of the Russian forces sent into the country have been killed or wounded.
The Russian military is also “fatigued” and Ukraine is planning a counteroffensive in the south, CNN reported, citing lawmakers’ statements at the briefing. US officials believe that the counteroffensive is Ukraine’s way of retaking the occupied city of Kherson, also located in southern Ukraine.
UK Secret Intelligence Service head Richard Moore said last week that he believes since Russian forces are losing manpower, they will begin to “lose steam in the coming weeks,” the report said.
Will Ukraine receive new missiles?
Slotkin, who recently returned from a trip to Ukraine, said that the next few weeks will be critical for how the conflict will unfold, in an interview with CNN. Slotkin also stated that there was bipartisan support for sending ATACMS long-range missiles to Ukraine.
However, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said last week that the US wouldn’t be providing such missiles because “they could be used to strike into Russian territory, which would escalate the war even further,” CNN reported.
The missiles can strike as far as 180 miles away (280 kilometers).
Reuters contributed to this report.