"Russia Poured 97% of Army into Ukraine... Lost 40% of Tank Strength"

"Number of Ukrainian Army Tanks Actually Increasing"
Experts Say "Ukraine Will Launch Counteroffensive This Spring"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] As the one-year mark since the outbreak of the Ukraine war approaches, an analysis has emerged that Russia has deployed 97% of its army forces to Ukraine and lost 40% of its pre-war tank strength.

On the 15th (local time), British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace appeared on the BBC and said, "It is estimated that Russia has deployed 97% of its army to Ukraine. Through this, they are striving to advance on all fronts." He added, "The Russian military has not concentrated these forces into a single unit to launch a large-scale offensive at once. They have tried to advance on all fronts, but this has resulted in heavy losses for the Russian forces."

After months of struggling, the Russian army has recently launched offensives on the front lines in eastern Ukraine, including Bakhmut, achieving some results and showing movements to advance toward major cities in the eastern region.

On the 7th of last month (local time), black smoke was rising in Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Western military experts expect Ukraine to launch a counteroffensive this spring. They believe Ukraine is trying to hold off Russian attacks to buy time to reinforce its forces in order to launch an offensive to reclaim occupied territories.

There is also analysis that the Russian military has suffered significant losses in strength. On the same day, The Guardian reported, citing a report from the UK-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), that the Russian military lost about 40% of its tank strength during the first nine months of the Ukraine war last year compared to pre-war levels.

The IISS analyzed Russian tank strength based on battlefield photos taken by drones and satellites from February, when the war began, through the end of November last year, estimating that the number of Russian tanks decreased from 2,927 to 1,800, a 38.5% reduction.

On the other hand, Ukraine's tank numbers actually increased. The IISS reported that during the same period, Ukraine's tank count rose from 858 to 953. This is believed to be due to Ukraine capturing about 500 Russian tanks and redeploying them on the battlefield, as well as receiving tank support from Poland, the Czech Republic, and others.

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