More than 500,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine, UK defence chief says

More than 500,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, a senior British defence official said on Friday, 11 September, putting total Russian military casualties at around 1.5 million.

Air chief marshal Sir Richard Knighton, chief of the UK's Defence Staff, said the figures for Russian fatalities broadly matched estimates released by the Ukrainian military. There was no immediate comment from Russian officials.

Russia's larger army has struggled to make significant gains on the battlefield, with Western officials and analysts saying its rate of advance has slowed considerably this year.

The Russian armed forces have also lost an “enormous” amount of military equipment, Knighton told reporters. The losses include more than 10,000 armoured and protected vehicles, nearly 3,000 air defence and artillery systems, and more than 370 aircraft and helicopters, he said.

Knighton did not provide an estimate of Ukrainian military losses. Neither Moscow nor Kyiv regularly publishes figures for battlefield casualties.

Russian drones target Kyiv petrol stations

Russian drones targeted roadside petrol stations in Kyiv for a second consecutive day on Friday, as Moscow expands its aerial campaign in what Ukrainian officials say is an effort to intimidate civilians and undermine morale.

The attacks hit two Ukrnafta petrol stations, killing two people and injuring six at one of them, the prosecutor's office said.

Russian strikes on urban petrol stations have intensified in recent months, particularly in regions close to the front line in eastern and southern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials say the attacks form part of a wider campaign to disrupt civilian life and weaken morale, alongside strikes on food distribution hubs that have at times left supermarket shelves in the capital sparsely stocked.

'Russia is systematically attacking places where it knows people will be spending their time going about their daily lives, seeking to maximize casualties, spread fear, and put pressure on Ukrainian society,' foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on X late on Thursday.

Authorities have urged residents not to linger near petrol stations and other exposed infrastructure during air raid alerts.

Ukraine is urgently seeking to strengthen its air defences as the war enters its fifth year. On Thursday, Kyiv secured fresh pledges of military support from Canada.

Russian drone strikes kill five near shopping malls

Pavlohrad in central Ukraine observed an official day of mourning on Friday for five residents killed in Russian drone strikes near shopping malls in broad daylight the previous day. The attack also wounded 67 people, Sybiha said on X.

In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, a 32-year-old woman and her 10-year-old son were injured in an overnight Russian drone attack, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said. Drones struck a nine-storey apartment building and a shopping mall, it said.

Efforts to extinguish the fires were hampered by the continuing threat of further strikes, forcing firefighters to repeatedly stop their work and take shelter, the agency said.

Russia says it intercepted 777 Ukrainian drones

Ukraine, meanwhile, has expanded its long-range drone campaign deep inside Russia, putting pressure on air defences across its much larger neighbour's vast territory.

On Thursday, the Ukrainian military said it had struck a refinery more than 3,000 km away in Siberia as Kyiv seeks to damage Russia's crucial oil industry. Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure have contributed to fuel shortages in parts of the country.

Russia's oil-product exports fell to record lows in August, while Moscow imported fuel from South Korea and India, according to a report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

“Ukrainian strikes on Russia's refining capacity have turned tables on the world's once largest oil product exporter to see them start importing fuels, with imports surging to a record 172,000 metric tonnes in August — more than seven times the previous monthly high,” the Finland-registered non-profit said on Thursday.

Ukraine launched a major overnight barrage from Thursday into Friday. Russia's defence ministry said its air defences intercepted 777 Ukrainian drones across 16 Russian regions, as well as occupied Crimea and the waters of the Azov and Caspian seas.

Two people were killed and three wounded overnight in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Tula region south of Moscow, local officials said on Friday.

A Ukrainian drone strike also sparked a fire at the Saratov oil refinery in southwestern Russia, according to the Russian independent online outlet Astra. Kyiv has repeatedly targeted the refinery, which was last struck in early August.

Major online retailer Ozon said its logistics facility in Saratov was also hit and set ablaze by a Ukrainian drone. No casualties were reported. Ozon competes with Wildberries, whose facilities have also been targeted by Ukraine.

With AP/PTI inputs