Ukraine: Russia Suffers 'Significant' Loss Of 5,300 Soldiers, Ukrainian Armed Forces Claim

The Ukrainian Armed Forces has claimed approximately 5,300 Russian soldiers have been killed since they began to invade Ukraine last week.

The fighting entered its fifth day today, February 28, after Vladimir Putin sent troops across the border on February 24 following months of military buildup.

Forces attacked from three sides, entering Ukraine near Kharkiv in the north, Luhansk in the east and Crimea in the south, but Ukrainians continue to resist their efforts and fight back in spite of the imbalance between their military forces.

In a statement released on Facebook today, Ukraine's armed forces announced that enemy losses since the start of fighting include 29 airplanes, 29 helicopters, 191 tanks, 816 combat armoured vehicles, 60 tanks and two ships/boats, among others.

The statement also revealed that approximately 5,300 Russian military personnel have been killed in combat, though it noted this figure is yet to be confirmed.

Russia is said to have acknowledged some of its losses during a state television address on Sunday, FirstPost reports, when Moscow's army spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said: 'Russian servicemen are showing courage and heroism while fulfilling combat tasks in the special military operation. Unfortunately, there are killed and injured among our comrades.'

One resident in Ukraine described Russian soldiers as being killed 'one by one' amid an attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second biggest city, which involved street-to-street fighting and intense shelling.

Speaking to BBC News, resident Maria Avdeev said 'a number of Russian soldiers and officers were captured' as well as being eliminated, adding: 'So they did not basically fight back, when they saw that they had no other option.'

Last week, ITV News reported that the Russian Ministry of Health appeared to be anticipating a major medical event, likely relating to casualties from the operation in Ukraine.

A document issued by the ministry and cited by the publication asks medical organisations to be ready 'to be promptly involved in activities aimed at saving lives and preserving the health of people in Russia', adding that medics will be deployed and offered 'reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses, as well as payment of labour [which] is expected from funds from the Federal Centre of Medical Disasters'.

A senior defense official in the United States has claimed the US has indications that Moscow had become frustrated by the slow progress of the invasion, Bloomberg reports, with efforts hindered by the resistance of Ukraine and failure to achieve complete air dominance.

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