![]() And despite the losses, the Ukrainians have so far taken just five of the 60 miles they hope to cover to reach the sea in the south and split the Russian forces in two.Īmerican officials acknowledged that pause and said that the Ukrainians had begun moving again, but more deliberately, more adept at navigating minefields and mindful of the casualty risks. ![]() The losses have also slowed because the counteroffensive itself has slowed - and even halted in places - as Ukrainian soldiers struggle against Russia’s formidable defenses. Some of the improvement came because Ukraine changed tactics, focusing more on wearing down the Russian forces with artillery and long-range missiles than charging into enemy minefields and fire.īut that good news obscures some grim realities. The startling rate of losses dropped to about 10 percent in the ensuing weeks, the officials said, preserving more of the troops and machines needed for the major offensive push that the Ukrainians say is still to come. The toll includes some of the formidable Western fighting machines - tanks and armored personnel carriers - the Ukrainians were counting on to beat back the Russians. In the first two weeks of Ukraine’s grueling counteroffensive, as much as 20 percent of the weaponry it sent to the battlefield was damaged or destroyed, according to American and European officials.
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