This Thursday, they meet three weeks since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Since then, the war has already claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and pushed three million Ukrainians into exodus, according to the UN.
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It was thought that the Russian military operation would be quick and finished in a few days.
But after more than 20 days of conflict, analysts believe that ehe Moscow Army is stagnant and, despite the lack of agreement on official figures, intelligence from Western countries and other analysts suggest that the casualties of Russian soldiers would be considerable.
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We explain the key points left by these three weeks of invasion.
What is really going on with the Russian military?
US intelligence agencies estimate that more than 7,000 Russian soldiers have died in the three weeks that the war in Ukraine lasts, a figure that exceeds the US military who lost their lives in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to New York Times.
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The New York newspaper had access to data from US intelligence agencies, which consider the figure of 7,000 deaths among the ranks of the Russian Army to be conservative.
The casualties will have negative implications for the effectiveness of Russian troops, including those fighting with tanks, US officials explained to New York Times.
US intelligence agencies estimate that more than 7,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the three weeks of the war in Ukraine.
Pentagon officials told the newspaper that when 10% of a military unit’s members are killed or wounded, that unit is no longer capable of combat action.
At the moment, more than 150,000 Russian soldiers participate in the war in Ukraine and between 14,000 and 21,000 are woundedwhich could mean that most combat units are at minimum, reports New York Times.
In addition, the Russian Armed Forces have lost at least three generals on the battlefield, Russian, Ukrainian and NATO officials told the newspaper.
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Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on February 24 and began bombing major cities, including the capital, causing a number of civilian deaths that is still unknown (for now there are only approximate data) and more than three million refugees, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
For its part, the Kremlin acknowledged a week ago that some 500 Russian soldiers had been killed in combat, a figure that varies depending on who reports.
Is the invasion stalled?
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is ‘mostly stalled on all fronts’as indicated on Thursday by the latest part of military intelligence released on Twitter by the British Ministry of Defense.
This report ensures that “Russian forces have made minimal progress by land, sea or air in recent days and continue to suffer heavy losses” in Ukraine.
“The Ukrainian resistance remains firm and well coordinated. The vast majority of the Ukrainian territory, including all major cities, remains in their hands,” highlights that part.
In another document released on Wednesday, Defense had also revealed that the invading Russian forces were having “problems” in overcoming the “challenges” posed by that country and in making progress.
According to data handled by the British Ministry of Defense, Russia’s advance in Ukraine has been “blocked” by a lack of maneuverability, which has been “expertly exploited” by Ukrainian forces.
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What does Putin say?
Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted on Wednesday that the “special military operation” in Ukraine it is developing as agreed and “successfully”.
At a conference on economic measures to support the regions, Putin said that the intervention “is developing successfully, in strict accordance with the approved plans,” according to Russian agencies, adding that he has “no intention of occupying.” Ukraine.
Putin stated that “it was only a matter of time” for Ukraine to launch a “massive assault” on Donbas and then on Crimea, and that the Russian Armed Forces have prevented it with the operation that began on February 24 in Ukraine.
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Putin said the intervention “is proceeding successfully, in strict accordance with the approved plans.
“Ukraine, instigated by the United States and other Western countries, was heading for a violent scenario, a bloodbath and ethnic cleansing in Donbas,” the Russian president insisted, according to local agencies.
Although Western intelligence services have said that Russia has had many casualties, the truth is that the operations have intensified against the cities and significant civilian casualties have been recorded in recent days.
How many civilians are dead, according to international organizations?
At least 726 civilians have been killed and 1,174 injured in the first 20 days of war in Ukraineindicated this Wednesday the United Nations Office for Human Rights, pointing out that the cases included are those already verified but that the real figure could be much higher.
Among the deceased there are at least 104 women and 52 children, while in the balance of injured there have been at least 77 women and 63 minors, according to figures updated daily by the office led by High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet.
A total of 186 deaths were verified in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions (in areas both pro-Russian and controlled by the Ukrainian authorities), and the remaining 540 in areas under the control of kyiv in the rest of Ukraine, including the capital and towns such as Kherson. , Mikolaiv, Odessa, Sumy, Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk or Kharkov.
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What state are the negotiations in?
The Russian and Ukrainian delegations have spent the last week discussing how to end the war. Although the British newspaper Financial Times assured that there was a 15-point agreement to achieve peace that was being worked on, the Kremlin came out to qualify this information and say that it was not true.
The truth is that during these three weeks there have been several statements that bring the positions of both countries closer together.
On March 16, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declares that “the neutral status (of Ukraine) is the subject of serious discussions” in the framework of ongoing Russian-Ukrainian talks.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski had estimated that it had to be “recognized” that his country would never join NATO, a point that Putin has always demanded, even before launching the invasion.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP and Efe
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