Ukraine military claims 3,500 Russian soldiers killed, 102 tanks, 14 planes destroyed

The Ukraine military has claimed that it has killed no fewer than 3,500 Russian soldiers in its pushback against Moscow’s aggression on its territory.

Local media reports that the Ukrainian air force has continued to inflict fatal damage on Russia’s manpower and military equipment across Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Kherson oblast, successfully shutting down Russian Il-76 military transport plane in the Southern part of Kyiv.

The military estimated that a total of 14 Russian planes, 102 tanks, eight helicopters, 536 BBM, 15 heavy machine guns, and one BUK missile have been destroyed since February 24.

According to the report, about 200 Russian service members were being kept hostage.

It also detailed that a combined force is conducting a defensive operation and holding positions along the entire line of demarcation.

On Friday, the Ukrainian armed forces said they inflicted heavy casualties on Russia, with the defence ministry noting that about 2,800 Russian soldiers had been lost. It was unclear whether the soldiers were killed, wounded or captured.

However, Russia has continued to claim that it has not suffered any significant losses.

Already, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation on Friday decided to deploy the NATO Response Force to thwart Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

It is the first time that the NATO Response Force (NRF), made up of 40,000 troops, has been activated for collective defence. The personnel will be deployed to the eastern flank of the alliance, according to Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s Secretary General.

Also, United States President Joe Biden clarified that U.S. troops had been deployed to eastern Europe to help strengthen NATO countries anxious about Russia’s hostile actions, and they will not be fighting in Ukraine.