Putin's grim milestone of death as Russian death toll 'passes 100,000'

Putin’s grim milestone of death: Number of Russian troops killed in President’s failing invasion of Ukraine ‘passes 100,000’

• Russian losses in Ukraine are continuing to mount with 100,400 allegedly killed
• Around 3,000 tanks and 6,000 armoured vehicles have been destroyed
• Putin is trying to reverse fortunes by bolstering troop numbers in Ukraine 

Russia’s mounting death toll in Ukraine has passed the grim milestone of 100,000 as Vladimir Putin continues to suffer major humiliations in his botched invasion, Kyiv claims.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine says around 100,400 Kremlin troops have been killed in the ten-month war.

The milestone is the latest blow to Putin’s erratic campaign which has seen dozens of high-profile generals killed.

Troops on the frontline, now stacked with reservists, have complained of being under-prepared and ill-equipped for battle, leaving them sitting ducks for Ukraine’s fightback which has forced Russian withdrawals.

Ukrainian armed forces drive a T-72 tank on the outskirts of Bakhmut as Russian losses continue to mount

On top of the casualties, Putin has also lost a staggering amount of military equipment, with more than 3,000 tanks, 5,981 armoured combat vehicles and 1,978 artillery systems destroyed.

A further 283 aircraft, 267 helicopters, 653 cruise missiles and 16 ships have been blitzed in the brutal conflict.

To turn the tide on his failing campaign, Putin yesterday dramatically escalated the war by bolstering his troops by 350,000 and raising his nuclear combat readiness.

The war-mongering despot warned the Kremlin will invest whatever necessary to increase its nuclear arsenal and vowed his Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles will be available to his forces within weeks.

New military units will be formed on Russia’s western borders to terrorise and scold Finland and Sweden for seeking to join NATO in the face of Kremlin aggression.

Soldiers who were recently mobilised by Russia for the military operation in Ukraine stand at a ceremony before boarding a train at a railway station in Tyumen

A destroyed Russian tank is seen in the village of Bohorodychne in eastern Ukraine

Click here to read how Putin is preparing for the next stage of war

In his speech to defence chiefs in Moscow, Putin made a series of rare and frank concessions about his invasion, admitting there were ‘problems’ with his mobilisation and acknowledging vague ‘criticism’ of his military strategy.

He said the country’s military should learn lessons and modernise based on its experiences in Ukraine and special emphasis will go to developing his country’s nuclear forces, which he described as ‘the main guarantee of Russia’s sovereignty’. 

Defence minister Sergei Shoigu also declared plans to form new military units in western Russia to, as Kremlin chiefs prepared for a new phase in the war which is entering its tenth month.

The nuclear-capable cutting-edge Zircon missiles, which travel at speeds of nearly 7,000mph, have ‘no equivalent in the world’, Putin claimed, although his forces have been beset with humiliation after humiliation so far in his war.

Putin also acknowledged that the call-up of 300,000 reservists that he ordered in September had not gone smoothly.

‘The partial mobilisation that was carried out revealed certain problems, as everyone well knows, which should be promptly addressed,’ he said.

The call-up drew strong criticism even from Kremlin allies, as it emerged that military commissariats were enlisting many men who were physically unfit or too old, and new recruits were lacking basic equipment such as sleeping bags and winter clothing.

A destroyed T-72 Russian tank is seen in the village of Bohorodychne, eastern Ukraine

Vladimir Putin today ordered Russia to increase its nuclear combat readiness, bolster troop numbers, prepare for the use of Zircon hypersonic missiles, and sending new military units to the borders with Finland

Shoigu then announced a plan to increase Russia’s military to 1.5million, including 695,000 volunteer contract soldiers.

He did not say when the increased strength will be achieved. 

As Putin bolstered his own forces, Volodymyr Zelensky was on a mission to shore up Ukrainian defences as he jetted to Washington DC to secure a $1.8billion aid package from Joe Biden.

In his first visit out of his country since the war began in February, Zelensky told lawmakers in the soaring House of Representatives chamber that he hoped they would continue to support Ukraine on a bipartisan basis.

Zelensky presents a Ukrainian flag signed by members of his military to Kamala Harris and Nancy Pelosi

‘Your money is not charity,’ Zelensky said, clad in the khaki fatigues that have been his public uniform throughout the 300 days of conflict. ‘It is an investment in the global security and democracy.’

Zelensky’s arrival was greeted with multiple raucous ovations in the nearly full chamber. Three members held up a large Ukrainian flag as he walked in.

‘It is a great honor for me to be at the US Congress and speak to you and all Americans. Against all doom and gloom scenarios, Ukraine did not fall. Ukraine is alive and kicking,’ said Zelensky.

‘We defeated Russia in the battle for the minds of the world,’ he said.

Following a meeting at the White House with Democratic President Joe Biden, Zelensky’s speech needed to resonate with the bipartisan audience, including House Republicans, who have voiced increasing skepticism about continuing to send tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine. 

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