Over 350 Ukrainian soldiers, mercs killed in Donetsk direction: Russia

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The Ukrainian military lost up to 360 soldiers and mercenaries in the Donetsk direction over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

"The total losses of the enemy in the Donetsk direction amounted to 360 Ukrainian servicemen and mercenaries, four armored personnel carriers, five armored combat vehicles, two vehicles, an L-119 howitzer made in the UK, as well as a Gvozdika self-propelled artillery mount," the ministry said.

This comes after the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday that Ukraine lost up to 215 soldiers in the Donetsk direction over the past 24 hours, adding that fighting in the western part of Bakhmut is ongoing.

Moscow also underlined that the Russian forces repelled two Ukrainian attacks in the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR).

"Over 30 Ukrainian servicemen and one tank were destroyed. In total, more than 70 Ukrainian servicemen, one tank, two armored personnel carriers, an Akatsiya self-propelled artillery mount, and a D-30 howitzer were destroyed in the Lyman direction in a day," the ministry said.

The heavy losses Ukraine is sustaining come after it was reported that Ukraine has been going through its US aid packages at a much higher pace than expected.

The US had already provided Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's government with $48 billion worth of military supplies and weapons, which has almost dried up in around 5 months, with $6 billion left at the disposal of Kiev the report underlines. 

Experts estimate that according to the rate of expenditure, the funds will last no longer than July 2023, promoting concerns among members of the US Congress.

The criticality of the situation has only been exacerbated by the long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia, which Zelesnky has been extremely secretive about.

The US has already sent millions of artillery shells, paid for armored vehicles, and delivered advanced air defense systems for Kiev's use.

Meanwhile, there are talks about an upcoming Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia, and though the effort was supposed to be carried out in the spring, it might not happen until the summer.

Senator Collins has expressed her worries regarding Ukraine's military needs during the upcoming counteroffensive and questioned the pace of US aid deliveries. "It’s clear that it will" happen, Collins underlined adding, "It's clear that it’s taken far too long to get munitions and tanks delivered to the Ukrainians." 

This statement stems from previous remarks by Zelensky who said that US-funded armored vehicles are arriving in Ukraine in batches which contradicts the statements of The European Command's General Christopher Cavoli who previously stated to Congress that 98% of promised combat vehicles had arrived in the country.

The report further underlined the uncertainty of US lawmakers regarding the exact period in which military aid to Ukraine will run out.

In May the US sent $1.2 billion worth of drones, artillery, air defense systems, and software and technical assistance to reimburse the Ukrainian air defense system which has been suspected to be critically low on supplies. This means that only $4 billion are left in the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which puts Ukraine in a precarious position if supplementary funds are not allocated soon.

The Pentagon is examining its spending options "as the situation evolves to support battlefield successes during new offensives in the spring,” spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Garron Garn said in a statement.