Bakhmut, a city in Ukraine’s embattled Donetsk region, has been a focal point of the Russian offensive for several months. During a televised address on Monday night, Zelensky said that the harsh battle was “breaking” both the Russian Army and Russian-aligned mercenaries operating in the area, such as the notorious Wagner Group.
“Bakhmut is the hottest spot on the entire frontline—more than 1,300 kilometers of active hostilities,” Zelensky said. “Since May, the occupiers have been trying to break our Bakhmut, but time goes by and Bakhmut is already breaking not only the Russian Army, but also the Russian mercenaries who came to replace the wasted army of the occupiers.”
Zelensky went on to claim that Russia had senselessly lost almost 99,000 troops since invading Ukraine on February 24, with a total of 100,000 soldier deaths expected to come soon.
A Newsweek calculation based on Ukraine’s claim estimates that Russia could reach the grim milestone by Thursday, assuming an average of 577 Russian troops losses per day. Newsweek has not independently verified the Ukrainian figures.
“Just think about it: Russia has already lost almost 99,000 of its soldiers in Ukraine. Soon there will be 100,000 of the occupiers’ casualties,” Zelensky said. “For what? No one in Moscow can answer this question. And they won’t.”
“They wage war and waste people’s lives, other people’s lives, not of their loved ones, not their own lives, but the lives of others only because a group in the Kremlin can’t admit mistakes and is terribly afraid of reality,” he added. “But reality speaks for itself.”
Ukrainian military commander Roman Kostenko recently told Newsweek that the prolonged battle in Bakhmut was evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “overestimated” the strength of what is in reality “a weak and unmotivated military.”
There have been some indications of success for Russia in Bakhmut. This month, Zelensky said Russian forces had effectively “destroyed” the city, while characterizing fighting in the region as “very difficult.”
Last week, pro-Russian media claimed that Putin’s troops, fighting alongside units from the Wagner group, had broken through eastern defensive lines and were “fighting street battles” in an industrial zone of Bakhmut.
A graphic video shared with Newsweek around the same time indicates that Russia’s purported progress may have come at a heavy price. The video shows a number of Wagner Group mercenaries being killed in an ambush while fighting to take control of the city.
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment.
