KEY POINTS

  • Russia has lost around 29,350 troops between the start of its invasion of Ukraine in late February and Tuesday
  • The country also lost 1,302 tanks, 3,194 armored fighting vehicles and 205 aircraft, among others
  • Russia's largest losses were observed in the direction of the Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk

Russia has lost nearly 30,000 troops during its invasion of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Russia suffered around 29,350 combat losses among its personnel between the start of its invasion on Feb. 24 and Tuesday, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence (MoD) claimed in its most recent casualty report.

The Russian Army's last official death toll from the war, released on March 25, claimed the number of Russian fatalities at the time was 1,351.

In addition to the more than 29,000 personnel, Russia has also lost 1,302 tanks, 3,194 armored fighting vehicles, 205 aircraft and 170 helicopters, the MoD said.

Russia's largest losses from the last day were observed in the direction of Severodonetsk, according to the agency. The city is located in Ukraine's partially-occupied Luhansk province and has become a focal point in Russia's war, The Washington Post reported.

Russian forces in Luhansk are constantly bombing Severodonetsk and using "scorched earth" tactics in the area as they seek to capture it, said Serhiy Gaidai, governor of the Luhansk region.

"Every day they are trying to break the line of defense. Around the clock, there is shelling, and unfortunately, the Russian army chose the scorched earth tactic against the city of Severodonetsk: They are simply systematically destroying the city. Everywhere is being shelled constantly," the governor said in a Ukrainian media interview.

Out of Severodonetsk's pre-war population of 100,000, only 10,000 people remain in the city, according to Gaidai.

Most of the people "are almost constantly in bomb shelters," the official claimed.

"The situation here is difficult because the Russian army has now thrown all [its] forces at capturing the Luhansk region," he added.

Severodonetsk will be "completely cut off" should Russian forces destroy its one remaining bridge, the governor warned.

More than 6.5 million refugees have fled from Ukraine to neighboring countries such as Poland, Romania and Hungary, among others, due to Russia's ongoing invasion, according to data provided by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The conflict has also resulted in the deaths of at least 3,930 civilians, including 267 children, data provided by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights showed.

A Ukrainian tank drives on a street during nearby mortar shelling in Severodonetsk, eastern Ukraine
A Ukrainian tank drives on a street during nearby mortar shelling in Severodonetsk, eastern Ukraine AFP / Yasuyoshi CHIBA