ISW Claims Russian Losses at Avdiivka Might Top Soviet-Afghan War Casualties
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (ISW) reported that Russian fatalities from taking Avdiivka could surpass casualties from the entire Soviet-Afghan war. Meanwhile, reports detail Russian missile, drone, and artillery strikes hitting Ukrainian schools and homes in Zaporozhye and other areas.
Assessing the casualty count is highly contested. 'theodewere' claims Russian losses are staggering, estimating Russia lost 40-50% more troops than Ukraine did overall. Countering this, 'Badeendje' argues that calculating losses against 'core' Russian forces is wrong, because fighters from DPR, LPR, and foreign volunteers shouldn't count against the core military count. Furthermore, 'Badeendje' asserted that the outdated tactic of throwing untrained bodies into trenches is ending because new 'contractniki' are better equipped.
The discussion lacks a clear consensus on the war's true cost. The primary fault lines exist between those who believe current Russian losses are catastrophically high and those who argue the calculation methodology—including the status of non-state or volunteer fighters—makes definitive comparison impossible.
Key Points
Russian losses in Avdiivka are unprecedented.
'theodewere' estimates Russia lost 40-50% more troops than Ukraine lost total.
Casualty assessment must exclude non-core fighters.
'Badeendje' insists losses must be separated by core Russian forces from DPR, LPR, or foreign volunteers.
The 'human wave' tactic is obsolete.
'Badeendje' noted newer 'contractniki' are better trained, making the old method obsolete.
Russia is conducting attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets.
Regional reports cited strikes by Russian missiles and drones on Ukrainian schools and residences.
Russian military tactics remain predictably crude.
'RememberTheApollo' argues tactics are unchanging, but 'Badeendje' directly contradicts this point.
Source Discussions (3)
This report was synthesized from the following Lemmy discussions, ranked by community score.