Russia has lost approximately 3% to 5% of its tanks, planes, artillery and other military assets in Ukraine – compared to Ukraine’s loss of about 10% of its capabilities, according to two US officials familiar with the latest intelligence.
US and Western officials warn that these ratios are difficult to calculate and are likely to change – not only because both sides continue to suffer losses as the war continues for a week, but also because Russian and Ukrainian forces are being replenished.
But the outright imbalance underscores the gloomy assessments of US and Western officials that, despite stronger-than-expected resistance from Ukraine, which has kept big cities out of Russia’s hands, it is still likely to be overwhelmed as Russia begins to step up -slightly discriminatory phase of his attack.
And even despite Western aid, US officials say Ukraine is still far superior to Russia. According to an intelligence source, Moscow initially relied heavily on its more modern precision cruise missiles, severely deteriorating Ukraine’s military infrastructure. Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to burn supplies of Javelin missiles fired from the shoulder.
“I have spoken to Biden many times and told them many times that Ukraine will resist and fight stronger than anyone else, but we will not be able to fight Russia alone,” Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky told CNN’s Matthew Chance. . in an interview on Tuesday.
Ukraine “need[s] the classic parts of the kit now. They need bullets, they need bandages. They will need fuel. “They will need ammunition, in addition to humanitarian support, to help with medical care, to maintain hospitals for both combatants and civilians who have been injured,” said a senior Western intelligence official.
“And they will need a lot in the supply of ammunition and weapons, because the Russian forces are both numerically and qualitatively superior,” the man said.
Nearly 6,000 Russian soldiers have died in the first six days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Zelensky said Wednesday morning. A senior Western intelligence official said Wednesday morning that the Western figure was similar – about 5,800 – but warned that “my number is from yesterday”.
U.S. officials say Russia is now changing its tactics, according to a U.S. official. While Moscow has embarked on a more modern approach to combined weapons – one that also seems to avoid targeting civilian infrastructure – it has now turned to what it called a “slow destruction” strategy. Officials expect continued heavy bombardment and the possibility of “tens of thousands” of troops marching on major Ukrainian cities, the man said.
Another Western official also said he felt the conflict could turn into a grim war of attrition – not the lightning campaign that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and US intelligence suspected would lead to the fall of Kyiv in a matter of days. days.