Russia likely lost half its main battle tanks in Ukraine, will be weaker: Pentagon - Business Insider

• Russia has apt mislaid fractional its main conflict tanks successful Ukraine, a elder US defence authoritative said. 
• Putin has besides mislaid tens of thousands of troops, the Pentagon's Colin Kahl told reporters this week.
• Because of this, "Russia volition look from this warfare weaker than it went in," helium said. 

Russia has apt mislaid fractional of its main conflict tanks portion warring successful Ukraine, a elder US defence authoritative said Tuesday, adding that the Russian subject volition extremity up being weaker than it was earlier the warfare began. 

Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defence for policy, told reporters this week that Russian President Vladimir Putin has "suffered a monolithic strategical failure" during his ongoing and unprovoked warfare successful Ukraine.

Highlighting Putin's subject setbacks, Kahl said that Russian forces person "probably mislaid fractional of their main conflict tanks" and tens of thousands of troops successful Ukraine, according to a Department of Defense report published Wednesday. 

Kahl did not specify precisely however galore tanks the Pentagon estimates Russia has lost, but according to open-source quality analysis by Oryx, astatine slightest 1,450 Russian tanks person been destroyed, captured, abandoned, oregon damaged implicit the people of the war. Notably, Russian troops fleeing Ukrainian battlefield advances person near down modern T-90 tanks that Moscow considers to beryllium among the most advanced successful its arsenal. 

Russia has, successful turn, been forced to propulsion old and obsolete tanks from retention — similar the Soviet-era T-62 main conflict tank. This benignant of vessel is decades old, tin adjacent beryllium seen successful immoderate museums, and has agelong since been replaced by newer, much susceptible systems.

In summation to armor losses, Russian forces person besides mislaid mountains of different high-value and dense weaponry, overmuch of which. similar Russian tanks, has been repurposed by Ukraine adjacent arsenic it continues to bask sizeable information assistance and subject assistance from Western countries. 

It's besides unclear precisely however galore casualties Russia has sustained successful Ukraine, but losses are believed to beryllium substantial.

No updated casualty figures person been provided since the Pentagon reported successful August that arsenic galore arsenic 80,000 Russian troops had been killed oregon wounded successful Ukraine. That fig was presented before Ukrainian forces launched 2 counteroffensives on the war's northeastern and confederate fronts, moves which person seen Russian lines shatter and Kyiv liberate thousands of quadrate miles of territory implicit the past 2 months. 

Among the Russian warfare dormant person been Russian conscripts and reservists who were precocious rushed to the battlefield to reenforce crumbling Russian lines and stem Russian losses.

"Russia volition look from this warfare weaker than it went in," Kahl said successful reflection connected Putin's wide warfare efforts successful Ukraine.

In the latest battlefield humiliation, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu connected Wednesday ordered his forces to retreat successful the confederate metropolis of Kherson, the archetypal large metropolis and lone determination superior that Moscow managed to seizure aft it invaded successful precocious February. As Ukrainian forces continued to beforehand toward the city, a afloat Russian withdrawal would people a important triumph for Kyiv.   

"I don't cognize what winning looks like," Kahl said during his remarks this week. "But I bash cognize that Russia volition not person achieved the objectives that Vladimir Putin acceptable out. And that's beauteous overmuch a guarantee."