Dead, tanks, ammunition: NATO supreme commander estimates Russian losses

Dead, tanks, ammunition
NATO supreme commander quantifies Russian casualties

The scale of the war in Ukraine has shaken NATO’s European Commander-in-Chief Cavoli. This is unbelievable, he says – and illustrates it with figures on the horrendous Russian losses. At the same time, the general emphasizes that Kiev is in danger of running out of ammunition.

After the Russian attack on Ukraine, NATO has to adjust to a new reality, according to its commander-in-chief in Europe. The extent of this war is unbelievable, said General Christopher Cavoli on Friday as the guest of honor at the traditional Matthiae meal in Hamburg City Hall.

According to Cavoli, Russia has lost more than 2,000 large battle tanks so far. More than 200,000 Russian soldiers and over 1,800 officers were killed or wounded. In addition, the Russian army fires an average of more than 23,000 artillery shells per day, Cavoli said.

According to previous estimates, this figure was higher during the course of the Russian invasion. French military circles said that the Kremlin troops fired up to 50,000 artillery shells a day last summer. In the Ukraine, meanwhile, there are said to be significantly fewer projectiles. Last November, a US official estimated that the country uses about 4,000 to 7,000 units a day.

In addition, Kyiv is threatened by an ammunition shortage. Last week, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu warned that the invading country was running out of missiles. “Today we have the situation that Russia uses as many missiles in one day as the EU produces in one month,” said the minister. The EU Commission therefore recently proposed supporting the member states in the procurement and new production of ammunition with EU funds.

In his speech, General Cavoli went on to explain that when the going gets tough for NATO, “hard power” has to be an argument. “If the other comes with a tank, you should also have a tank,” he said. One lesson learned from the Cold War, however, is that weapon precision is what counts. In addition, the production capacity of the defense industry is important. A war is won by those who can produce the fastest. At the same time, the NATO general emphasized the importance of civilian leadership: “We have learned from this conflict that civilian leadership is absolutely essential.” It can mobilize the nation and inspire partners.

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