US Intelligence says Russia has lost almost 90% of its prewar army: Report

A recently declassified US intelligence assessment shared with Congress reveals the severe impact of the war in Ukraine on Russia’s military capabilities. According to a Wall Street Journal report, approximately 90 per cent of its prewar army has been lost due to death or injury, with thousands of battle tanks destroyed. The assessment, obtained from a congressional source, discloses that since the February 2022 invasion, 315,000 Russian personnel, constituting 87% of Moscow’s prewar force of 360,000, have been killed or injured. Additionally, Russia has suffered a significant blow to its tank force, losing nearly two-thirds, or 2,200 out of its 3,500 preinvasion stock. While it was already known that President Vladimir Putin’s military sustained substantial losses in Ukraine, the assessment provides new and detailed information about the extent of these setbacks. The release of this assessment coincides with the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington, where he is advocating for continued US military assistance. Despite a major counteroffensive by Kyiv this year, large portions of Ukrainian territory remain occupied by Russia. The US has not released recent estimates of Ukrainian casualties, and the Ukrainian government has not disclosed such figures. However, officials have acknowledged that Ukraine, with a significantly smaller population than Russia, has also experienced tens of thousands of troop casualties due to death and injury. According to a Reuters report, citing a source, Russian officials have said Western estimates of Russian death tolls in the war are vastly exaggerated and almost always underestimate Ukrainian losses, which they say are vast. At a news conference on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden reaffirmed continued support to Zelensky, and warned lawmakers they risked handing a victory to Russia. With inputs from agencies