Ukraine said on Tuesday that Russia had suffered the worst casualties of the war in the past 24 hours during an intensified offensive in the east of the country, throwing tens of thousands of newly mobilized troops into the fray.
According to the Ukrainian army, the number of Russian servicemen killed per day has increased by 1,030 people and amounts to about 133,190 people. In turn, Russia said 6,500 Ukrainian troops were killed in January.
Kiev and the West allege that in recent weeks Russia has moved troops and mercenaries into eastern Ukraine in hopes of capturing new territory by the first anniversary of its full-scale invasion more later this month.
In recent weeks, Russia has made its first minor gains in six months, but despite thousands of deaths, it has captured no major colonies this winter.
Fighting has been going on for months around Ukrainian-held Bakhmut in eastern Donetsk Oblast, a town that had a population of around 75,000 before the war. Russia has made clear progress in encircling both the north and the south, but Kiev says the city is holding its own.
Moscow has also launched an offensive against Vuhledar, a Ukrainian-held city located at a strategic crossroads between the eastern and southern front lines.
The new US military aid program is expected to include longer-range missiles, giving Ukraine the ability to strike Russian supply lines throughout occupied mainland Ukraine and parts of the Crimean Peninsula.
But their delivery will take several months, but for the moment Ukraine is facing Russian forces, whose numbers are being replenished by new mobilized forces.
Ukrainian officials have said Moscow may stockpile weapons and supplies for a larger offensive in the coming weeks. According to some officials, it could start around February 15.
