The newspaper quoted what it said were intelligence leaders that Russia is ready to incur casualties of up to 50,000 soldiers, which is effectively more than a third of the forces that have been amassed on Ukraine’s borders in recent months.
Western intelligence officials estimate that the number of Russian dead until the morning of the fourth day of the war has reached 3,000.
The Russian army has not yet revealed any losses in its ranks, and the law prohibits any party other than the Ministry of Defense from publishing information about losses, as this is a kind of treason.
For its part, Kiev says that it inflicted heavy losses on the Russian forces, and says that about 3,500 people were killed.
Ukraine’s delegate to the United Nations, Sergey Kiseltsya, stated that his forces destroyed 102 Russian tanks, 536 armored vehicles, 15 artillery pieces, 14 military combat aircraft and 8 helicopters, in addition to the Buk-1 missile system.
In a related context, a leaked document from the Russian Ministry of Health stated that the ministry asked medical companies to “urgently participate in activities aimed at saving lives and preserving the health of people in Russia.”
British ITV television, which obtained the leaked document, said it was dated February 25, a day after the outbreak of the war.
He added that the document shows that Moscow expects a huge health emergency.
The document requires medical companies to submit a list of specialized doctors and health sector workers to the ministry.