Ukraine war: More than 20,000 Russian fighters dead in Bakhmut, US says

The White House believes that much than 20,000 Russian combatants person died successful the conflict for the Ukrainian metropolis of Bakhmut.

A further 80,000 person been wounded, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said, citing recently declassified intelligence.

Half of the dormant are from the Wagner mercenary group, the US says.

If accurate, the fig of Russian casualties outweighs the city's pre-war colonisation of 70,000.

Moscow has been trying to instrumentality Bakhmut since past twelvemonth successful a grinding warfare of attrition.

The conflict for the tiny metropolis - wherever lone a fewer 1000 civilians stay - has taken connected immense symbolic value for some sides.

Ukrainian officials person besides said they are utilizing the conflict to termination arsenic galore Russian troops arsenic imaginable and deterioration down its reserves. However, Ukraine lone present controls a tiny information of the city.

"Russia's effort astatine an violative successful the Donbas mostly done Bakhmut has failed," Mr Kirby told reporters. "Russia has been incapable to prehend immoderate existent strategical and important territory."

"We estimation that Russia has suffered much than 100,000 casualties, including implicit 20,000 killed successful action," helium added.

The toll successful Bakhmut accounts for losses since the commencement of December, according to the US figures.

"The bottommost enactment is that Russia's attempted violative has backfired aft months of warring and bonzer losses," Mr Kirby said.

He added helium was not giving estimates of Ukrainian casualties due to the fact that "they are the victims here. Russia is the aggressor".

The BBC is incapable to independently verify the figures fixed and Moscow has not commented.

The seizure of the metropolis would bring Russia somewhat person to its extremity of controlling the full of Donetsk region, 1 of 4 regions successful eastbound and confederate Ukraine annexed by Russia past September pursuing referendums wide condemned extracurricular Russia arsenic a sham.

Analysts accidental Bakhmut has small strategical value, but has go a focal constituent for Russian commanders who person struggled to present immoderate affirmative quality to the Kremlin.

The Wagner mercenary radical - which has go notorious for its often inhumane methods - has taken centre signifier successful the Russian battle connected Bakhmut.

Its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has staked his reputation, and that of his backstage army, connected seizing the city.

But helium precocious threatened to propulsion his troops retired of Bakhmut.

In a uncommon in-depth interrogation to a salient Russian warfare blogger, helium vowed to retreat Wagner fighters if they are not provided with much-needed ammunition by the Russian defence ministry.

Wagner fighters could beryllium redeployed to Mali, helium warned.

He has often clashed with Russia's defence ministry during the war, accusing officials of not providing his fighters with capable support.

Prigozhin besides called upon the Russian media and subject enactment to "stop lying to the Russian population" up of an expected Ukrainian Spring counteroffensive.

"We request to halt lying to the Russian population, telling them everything is each right," helium said.

He praised the Ukrainian military's "good, close subject operations" and command.

A apical Ukrainian wide said connected Monday that counterattacks person ousted Russian forces from immoderate positions successful Bakhmut but the concern remains "difficult".

New Russian units, including paratroopers and fighters from Wagner, are being "constantly thrown into battle" contempt taking dense losses, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commandant of Ukraine's crushed forces, said connected Telegram.

"But the force is incapable to instrumentality power of the city," helium said.