The British Ministry of Defence says in today's update on developments in Ukraine that heavy shelling continues, as Russia pushes to encircle the region of Severodonetsk through Izium from the north and Popasna from the south. "It is highly likely that the Russians will attempt to deploy a large number of reserve units in Donbass," the Ministry notes.
The importance of such an attempt by the Russians is highlighted by the follow-up British media report, which highlights the high Russian and pro-Russian casualties in Donbass.
It should be noted initially that Russian authorities have not disclosed the total number of casualties in Ukraine as of March 25. "However," the Ministry continues, "the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) is publishing data on its own casualties. As of 16 June, the DPR authorities confirmed 2,128 soldiers killed in combat and 8,897 wounded since the beginning of the year."
As London points out, this implies that 55% of the self-proclaimed DPR's original armed forces have been lost, which London says highlights the staggering attrition suffered in Donbass by Russian and pro-Russian forces.
This attrition is attributed to the fact that it is highly likely that the forces of the self-proclaimed "Donbass People's Republic" are equipped with obsolete weapons and materiel.
"On both sides, the ability to deploy reserve units to the front is likely to become increasingly critical to the outcome of the war," is the final assessment made by the British Ministry of Defence."
Source: CNA
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