Russian losses mounting, Ukraine says as Moscow continues eastern push

In his Monday evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said personnel changes on the border and frontline would bolster Ukraine's military efforts.

Ukraine said on Tuesday the last 24 hours were the deadliest of the war so far for Russian troops, as Moscow hurls tens of thousands of freshly mobilized soldiers and mercenaries into relentless winter assaults in the east.

The Ukrainian military increased its running tally of Russian military dead by 1,030 overnight to 133,190, and described the increase as the highest of the war so far. It also said its troops destroyed 25 Russian tanks in the last two days.

The report of enemy dead could not be independently confirmed, and Moscow denies its forces have suffered losses on such a scale while also claiming to have killed huge numbers of Ukrainians.

But the unprecedented scale of reported casualties fits accounts from both sides that describe battles in snow-covered trenches as the deadliest combat of the war, despite little progress by either side at the front.

The war is soon entering its second year at a pivotal juncture, with Moscow attempting to regain the initiative, while Kyiv is holding out for Western tanks for a counter-offensive.

After failing to capture Kyiv last year and losing ground through the second half of 2022, Moscow is now making full use of hundreds of thousands of troops called up over the past few months in its first mobilization since the Second World War.

Kyiv and the West say Russia has been pouring additional troops into eastern Ukraine in recent weeks in hopes of being able to claim new gains around the time of the first anniversary of its full-scale invasion later this month.

The last few weeks have seen Russia boast its first gains for half a year. But the progress has still been incremental, with Moscow yet to capture a single major population center in its winter campaign despite thousands of dead.