Georgian Legion mercenaries carry coffins of Ukrainian soldiers who died in a battle against Russian troops, during a funeral ceremony in Kiev, March 12, 2024. Photo: AP.
The Russian Defense Ministry has revealed that in an attempt to cross Russian borders, the Ukrainian army lost 234 fighters and a substantial amount of military equipment, including seven tanks and three infantry fighting vehicles.
In a statement released on Tuesday, March 12, the Russian Defense Ministry said, “The enemy lost 234 militants, seven tanks, three US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and two armored personnel carriers. There were no violations of the state border,” noting that the attack was confronted on all three different directions where Ukraine tried to infiltrate.
5 minute Belgorod trip ended with losses.
Wonder if the boys near Avdeevka wish they had that tank instead of being wasted in the PR nightmare. pic.twitter.com/pBmCYu3TSk
— ayden (@squatsons) March 12, 2024
In detail, the Russian ministry said that up to 60 Ukrainian fighters were killed and four pickups were destroyed in the Kharkov region. Along the Ukrainian front, 100 Ukrainian troops were killed and five military tanks were destroyed. Near Nekhoteevka, in Russian Belgorod, 45 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and two tanks were destroyed.
Russian soldier reporting from the village of Tyotkino, Kursk region.
This is the village they claimed to have captured. pic.twitter.com/H59jkzabUu
— ayden (@squatsons) March 12, 2024
Russia further reported that a member of its territorial defence was killed and 10 civilians were wounded during a cross-border raid by pro-Ukraine militias in the border region of Belgorod.
“Ten civilians were wounded, six of them are in hospitals… A member of our territorial self-defence died today,” Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram.
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How fragile are Ukraine’s defense lines?
NewsWeek reported last week, citing military sources, that the recent Russian capture of Avdeevka has been followed by the continuous expansion of Russian control along the frontlines.
According to the source, Ukrainian forces are “both outmanned and outgunned along the front.” The recent fall of Avdeevka was in part blamed on ammunition shortages.
Since then, Russia’s expansion has been “incremental” and will likely increase in the short term as long as aid remains stalled in the West.
According to the arms industry-funded Institute for the Study of War, the Russian victory in the battle of Avdeevka has opened new avenues for land control in surrounding areas, and Russian forces are working rapidly to increase their presence along the frontlines before Ukrainian forces can rebuild a more cohesive defense line.
Last week, Dmytro Lykhovyi, spokesman for the Ukrainian Tavriisk Group of Forces, announced that his troops had pulled back from Stepove, approximately eight miles north of Avdeevka. Russian troops, on the other hand, declared control of Tonenke to the south, along with other nearby territories.
