In an exclusive interview with Newsmax, Kyrylo Budanov, chief of Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, said that the Russian army has sustained "horrific" losses as it continues to battle Kyiv's forces over Ukrainian territory.
"Well, look, last week our agents were able to retrieve a summary document dated the end of January 2025," Budanov told Newsmax's foreign correspondent Zach Anders on Monday. "Their Ministry of Defense started calculating their losses because they document their current casualties, but they document across different regions, different armies. There was confusion."
"According to that document, starting from the 24th of February 2022, the number of the dead was above 300,000," Budanov said. "Irreversible losses of Russian Federation are above 300,000. Horrific figures, but that's the reality."
Monday marks the third anniversary of the intense, brutal conflict in Eastern Europe that began when Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded neighboring Ukraine in what he called a "special military operation." The war is Europe's largest since World War II and has featured grisly trench warfare reminiscent of World War I.
President Donald Trump has worked to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table to end the carnage since taking office last month. He said Monday he remains in "serious" discussions with Putin about a peace deal.
Budanov is the primary architect of Ukraine's defense and has rarely given press interviews.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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