"Ukraine Military Casualties Surge to 1,000 per Day... 500 Killed Daily"

The US Must Move Beyond Passive Support... "Urgent Need for Weapon Support"

(Herson, Reuters = Yonhap News) Amid growing concerns over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, on February 12 (local time), a special tactical training involving the National Defense Forces and police was conducted at a training ground in Herson, southern Ukraine.

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] The number of casualties among Ukrainian troops on the eastern Donbas front in Ukraine has surged to around 1,000 per day.

According to American internet media such as Axios on the 16th (local time), David Arakhamia, Ukraine's chief negotiator with Russia, stated, "The number of Ukrainian military casualties on the eastern Donbas front has surged to about 1,000 per day," adding, "Every day, 200 to 500 Ukrainian soldiers have died."

Considering that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on the 1st that the daily number of Ukrainian military fatalities was between 60 and 100, the daily death toll has increased up to fivefold in just half a month.

Arakhamia visited the United States to request the U.S. government and Congress to provide weapons to Ukraine more quickly and to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. He said, "Ukraine has recruited one million soldiers so far and has the capacity to recruit an additional two million," adding, "What is lacking are weapons and ammunition to counter Russia."

He also pointed out, "Although U.S. President Joe Biden signed a $40 billion (about 51 trillion won) Ukraine aid budget bill last month, the speed at which this translates into actual weapon deliveries is still slow."

He further claimed that European countries have begun focusing on increasing their own domestic weapon stockpiles rather than arming Ukraine. He said, "The German government remains very reluctant to approve arms exports to Ukraine," suggesting that "an internal fear of Russia" might be the cause.

Arakhamia emphasized that a counterattack is necessary even for negotiations with Russia. While the war must ultimately end in compromise, he argued that a change in the situation is needed to exert negotiating power. He said, "Due to high oil prices, Russia is not significantly affected by international sanctions," adding, "It will take 3 to 4 years for the sanctions to have a proper effect, but the problem is whether we can endure until then."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.