According to NATO data, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Russia has lost more than 900,000 soldiers, of whom 250,000 have been killed. Many of the wounded servicemen have suffered lifelong disabilities due to poor medical care, a senior Alliance official noted at a briefing on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels.
The Russian army continues to lose more than 1,000 people a day - killed and wounded, but the recruitment of new recruits is currently covering the losses, according to NATO data. "The progress of Russian troops in Ukraine is slowing down, losses are growing, but the Russian authorities are ready to suffer large losses in the future for the sake of slow successes", the official summarized. He does not believe that Russian society has reached a stage where it will no longer be ready to accept this.
NATO sees no signs of a ceasefire on the battlefield
NATO's assessments are that the situation on the battlefield remains very complex. It is assumed that Russia will continue to increase pressure on the Ukrainian army at the front and throughout the territory of Ukraine in order to prolong the war and increase its advantage for success in the negotiations. The advantage is still not on Ukraine's side, Russia retains its advantage and dynamics, and is also trying to profit from the deficits in the Ukrainian army.
"There are no signs on the battlefield that the Russians are preparing for a ceasefire," the high-ranking NATO official emphasized. "We see no signs of Russia changing its war aims."
Russia is expected to push Ukraine out of the Kursk region
Ukraine has lost 90 percent of the territory it previously held in the Kursk region. NATO information states that the Ukrainian army holds less than 100 sq. km. Russia has regained full control of the city of Sudzha, which the Alliance explains by its numerical superiority: there are now about 70,000 Russian soldiers in the Kursk region.
In addition, the North Korean military has been involved in the liberation of the region, of which there are currently 11,000 in the region. NATO has information that 3,500 North Korean soldiers were sent to Russia for training in the winter. North Korean troops have also suffered serious losses - 5,000 people, of whom 1,500 were killed.
The Alliance's forecasts are that Russia will be able to completely push Ukrainian troops out of the Kursk region. The NATO official told reporters that he did not know whether the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Sudzha was related to the cessation of intelligence sharing by the United States, but said that the pause lasted a week and this affected Ukrainian defense efforts.
The peace deal should not allow Russia to simply buy time
Russia's proposals at the negotiating table and the approach to them have not changed, NATO says. Moscow's actions demonstrate confidence that time is on its side, the senior official noted. "We doubt that Putin is going into negotiations with good intentions. I am not sure that Putin is ready to negotiate in a spirit of good will."
NATO's position is to achieve a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine. "Whatever peace deal is concluded, it must not allow Russia to simply buy time," the Alliance official summed up.
Author: Ksenia Polska