Zelenskyy sets goal of raising Russian troop losses to 50,000 per month

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Armed Forces of Ukraine and newly appointed Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov have been tasked with increasing Russian troop losses at the front to as many as 50,000 per month, including both killed and wounded.

Speaking at the presentation of the E-Balls system, which was attended by commanders of unmanned systems units, Zelensky described the figure as an ‘optimal level’ that would prompt Russia to reflect on the causes and consequences of the war, Caliber.Az reports via Ukrainian media.

“This is undoubtedly a difficult goal, but it is the threshold where Russia will begin to reconsider what it is doing and why it is fighting,” Zelenskyy said. 

The president added that this could be achieved, first of all, through drones of all types.

During a meeting with the media, Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed the goal set by President Zelenskyy, emphasising that the plan to increase Russian casualties would rely heavily on coordinated use of drones and other advanced systems.

"The president has set a clear task: to build a system capable of stopping the enemy in the air and its advances on the ground and ramping up asymmetric and cyber strikes against the enemy and its economy. The objective is to impose costs on Russia that it cannot bear. In this way, to force peace through strength," he stressed.

At last week’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelenskyy stated that Russian monthly fatalities have risen from 14,000 to 35,000 over the past year.

By Jeyhun Aghazada