A staggering 50,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded in Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, Britain’s top military officer revealed.
Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin revealed the figure after meeting Ukrainian officers.
He said after the meeting in Kyiv that defending chiefs were “clear that they plan to restore the whole of their territory in terms of Ukraine”.
He added: “They see a Russia that is struggling, a Russia that we assess has lost more than 30% of its land combat effectiveness.
“What that actually means is 50,000 Russian soldiers that have either died or been injured in this conflict, nearly 1,700 Russian tanks destroyed, nearly 4,000 armoured fighting vehicles.”
But Adm Radakin said that despite the heavy losses, Russia remained the biggest threat to the UK.
He added: “Russia continues to be a nuclear power, it’s got cyber capabilities, it’s got space capabilities.”
It could easily sabotage undersea internet cables, he added.
And claims Putin was seriously ill or likely to be assassinated were wishful thinking, he cautioned.
Adm Radakin said: “Nobody at the top has got the motivation to challenge President Putin, and that is bleak.
"The challenge of Russia is going to endure way beyond 2022, 2023 and 2024... potentially decades in terms of Russia as a threat.”
His comments come after Russian missiles killed dozens at sites including Chuhuiv in the east.
Fighting has intensified in the eastern Donbas region, where Moscow-backed separatists have been battling Ukraine forces since 2014.
Ukrainian military spokesman Vadym Skibitsky warned: “Preparations are now under way for the next stage of the offensive.’’
