Russia's Equipment Losses Surge in Ukraine

In October, Russian forces lost more gear in Ukraine than in any other month over the past two years, according to recent reports. This is a big deal because it shows that the war is getting more expensive for Russia. Since the war started, a website called Oryx has been tracking Russian equipment losses using photos and videos. They say the losses are probably much higher than what they can confirm. Last month, Russia lost, damaged, or had equipment captured. The total is 695 units, which is way more than usual. This includes 253 infantry fighting vehicles, 103 tanks, and 41 armored personnel carriers. Russia also lost some planes and helicopters, but not as many as the ground vehicles. Newsweek tried to check these numbers with the Russian Defense Ministry, but they didn't get a response. The last time Russia lost this much equipment was in October 2022, after Ukraine launched a counteroffensive and Russia had to retreat from Kherson and Kharkiv. Even with these high losses, Russia is still making small gains. For example, they recently captured a town in the Donetsk region. An expert from the London School of Economics says this shows that Russia is playing a slow and steady game, using their advantage in artillery and manpower to wear down Ukrainian forces. Russia's biggest advances this year happened in October and November. They captured a lot of territory, showing that their current strategy is working better than their earlier attempts. However, Ukraine also lost some equipment in October, including tanks and armored vehicles.