Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused more than 2 million military casualties, with Moscow’s forces bearing the brunt of the losses, according to an American thinktank. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated that between 400,000 and 450,000 Russian troops have been killed since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, out of a total of 1.4 million casualties that were killed, wounded or are missing. Ukrainian forces have meanwhile suffered between 525,000 and 625,000 casualties and between 125,000 and 150,000 fatalities during the same period, CSIS said on Wednesday. “Russian fatalities in Ukraine are more than four times greater than all US fatalities in all wars combined since World War II,” it added, while the ratio of Russian to Ukrainian casualties has likely risen to about 8 to 1 in the first half of this year.
Russian forces attacked Kyiv with drones late on Wednesday, triggering a fire in a hotel on a central boulevard and leaving debris scattered in two districts of the Ukrainian capital. At least five people were injured. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the hotel roof was on fire on the central Shevchenko Boulevard. Pictures posted online showed a fire burning out of control at the top of the building. Emergency services had been dispatched to the site, Klitschko also said on Telegram. Another witness said explosions had been heard in the capital’s western districts. Klitschko said drone fragments had hit the ground in the city centre and in a north-eastern suburb. Pictures on unofficial Telegram channels showed residents crowding into underground stations.
