In a scathing rebuke at the OSCE, Britain has lambasted Russia’s “grotesque” tactics in Ukraine that have resulted in nearly 900 soldiers lost per day – a staggering human toll exposing Vladimir Putin’s disregard for his own forces and the Russian people.
Cannon Fodder for Putin’s War Machine
The grim statistic, covering Russian casualties throughout April, highlights the Kremlin’s dogged persistence in sending waves of under-equipped, ill-trained troops into Ukraine’s meat grinder. According to UK military advisor Nicholas Aucott, it demonstrates the “depths to which Putin’s regime is prepared to go” to pursue its revanchist objectives at all costs.
| Average Daily Russian Military Casualties |
|---|
| 2022: 400 |
| 2023: 693 |
| 2024 (through April): 899 |
“Mr Chair, not only is this an act of aggression against a sovereign nation, it also is a testament to the contempt in which Putin regards his own people and the lives of young Russian men,”
Aucott told the OSCE in a searing speech.
Russia’s scorched-earth offensive has seen Putin increasingly turn to controversial “Storm-Z” penal units comprised of convicts conscripted into service.
This “grotesque approach” has turned towns like Chasiv Yar into hellscapes – of its pre-war population of 12,500, only 682 civilians now remain amid relentless shelling that has cut off water, power and heating for over a year.
A Bloody Status Quo
The appalling body count, now exceeding 465,000, has become grimly routine as Russia’s invasion grinds into its third year. Despite the catastrophic losses showing no sign of letting up, Putin believes “momentum is on Russia’s side” and that he can “outpace and outwait the West” through sheer attrition, Aucott said.
“Putin has forced Russia’s economy onto a total war footing, and he continues to push on with his failing invasion, regardless of the cost in Russian blood and treasure.”
While Russia rains firepower on Ukraine’s cities and critical infrastructure, its ground forces have made limited territorial gains in the Donbas at a horrific cost in lives. The UK advisor charged that Putin’s “indiscriminate” bombing campaign, which has killed scores of civilians, amounts to “state terror” against the Ukrainian people.
Britain Digs In for Long Haul
For its part, the UK insists its “resolve to support Ukraine’s self-defense will remain steadfast” for as long as it takes to uphold the international rules-based order. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently announced a 100-year “unshakeable” partnership with Kyiv, while Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has pledged £3 billion in annual military aid.
“We will back this new support with diplomacy and sustained solidarity, for as long as it takes, until Ukraine finally prevails,”
Cleverly said during his recent visit.
Pressure on Putin
But as the civilian toll also mounts from Russia’s indiscriminate bombing, Aucott warned that allowing Putin’s “act of aggression” to stand would only “embolden him to use force and coercion elsewhere against the free world” and encourage other authoritarian regimes to trample on the international order.
“Putin must not be allowed to subjugate Ukraine and dictate a world defined by danger, disorder, division and disinformation,” he said. “Ukraine has shown that with the right support from allies and partners, it can courageously defend itself and its democracy.”
A Grinding Stalemate
Nearly 15 months since Russia’s full-scale re-invasion, the war has calcified into a grinding stalemate of attrition across eastern and southern fronts. Kyiv’s forces have fought with tenacity and skill but remain vastly outgunned – a predicament the UK, US and other NATO allies are racing to alleviate through sustained arms shipments.
The UK, in particular, has ramped up provisions of advanced artillery, armored vehicles, air defenses and other heavy weaponry. It recently announced it would become the first country to provide Kyiv with long-range weapons capable of striking Russian launchers on its own territory. The gambit aims to help Ukraine degrade Russia’s artillery advantage.
As the enormous Russian death toll lays bare, however, Putin appears entrenched and undeterred by the catastrophic losses. The question is whether even his nation’s staggering sacrifice in soldiers’ lives will ultimately break his resolve – or Ukraine’s.
Stay up to date on the latest UK military developments in this pivotal conflict at War in Ukraine.
Sources: THX News, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Business Insider, OSCE & Nicholas Aucott, Senior Military Advisor at the UK Delegation to the OSCE.
