“There is no more personnel army”: Matviychuk and Leonkov calculated the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The losses of the Ukrainian army since the beginning of the special military operation were announced by foreign experts. Western information resources report that about 257 thousand people have irretrievably lost the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to some military analysts, the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are even higher. What a fairly battered enemy army is capable of and how events will develop in the near future, “MK” was told by military experts.

The other day, retired US Army Colonel McGregor said that at a meeting with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, General Mark Milley, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny said: the irretrievable losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine amounted to 257 thousand people killed, missing and taken prisoner.

In turn, the Turkish press, citing sources in the Israeli intelligence Mossad, cited other figures for the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. They allegedly make up more than 165 thousand soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and mercenaries from NATO countries. In addition, more than 250,000 servicemen were wounded or taken prisoner.

Veteran intelligence colonel in the reserve Anatoly Matviychuk told MK that a professional Ukrainian army no longer exists.

“I have the data of our intelligence, which reports the irretrievable losses of the Ukrainian army within 300 thousand people and the wounded – up to 500 thousand,” he said. – This means that the professional army of Ukraine, which entered into a confrontation with Russia a year ago, is completely destroyed, it no longer exists. This is also evidenced by the fact that the enemy has already carried out nine waves of mobilization, during which they take everyone in a row. The next mobilization is going badly, there are attempts to recruit minors – from 17 years old, as well as women who will even be called up for combat positions.

According to Anatoly Matviychuk, the enemy army is now completely dependent on Western supplies.

“Such an army can do nothing without the help of the West,” he said. – If we hypothetically assume that today the West stops helping Ukraine, then in a week this army will scatter and be destroyed. Now at the NATO training grounds – in Germany, England, the USA, Poland, a reserve of up to 70 thousand people is being prepared.

There were many mercenaries, but recently their number has decreased. If in the summer there were 10-12 thousand people, now, as far as I know, a maximum of four thousand people. The largest number of mercenaries are Poles, British, Germans. Mercenaries from the United States and Germany are mostly retired or furloughed military personnel who serve as instructors. Mercenaries from Poland are people with weapons in their hands, participating in hostilities, operating tanks and artillery systems.

As a military expert, editor of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, told MK Alexey Leonkovthe real figures of losses can exceed half a million.

“Indeed, different estimates of the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been voiced,” he said. – Someone says about 165 thousand killed, others – about 257 thousand. The enemy, of course, is trying to hide the real numbers of losses, because the information is very sensitive for him.

We must not forget that there are also missing people in Ukraine, whose relatives apply to all authorities and cannot get a clear answer about the fate of their relatives. The number of such appeals exceeded 350 thousand. And the missing are either killed, not included in the loss reports, or captured. We have a little more than ten thousand servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in captivity. This means that the rest of the “missing” lie somewhere on the battlefield … Therefore, the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in fact, may be more than 257 thousand people. I think that this figure can exceed 500 thousand.

Despite huge losses and requests from the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to withdraw personnel from Artemovsk (Bakhmut), such a decision is being postponed. According to Alexei Leonkov, a pause is urgently needed for a weakened enemy in order to replenish the rear with a reserve and the promised NATO equipment.

– The value of the fortified areas in the Donbass for the Armed Forces of Ukraine is great, so the enemy throws reinforcements there to keep them at any cost. The enemy needs a pause in order to replenish their ranks with fresh force and receive the equipment promised by NATO countries.

At the same time, the expert notes, the enemy fell into his own trap: it’s good to hide in fortified areas, but it’s impossible to retreat without losses.

– Ukrainian regions in the Donbass were created as a single network of fortifications, which was supposed to tie down the forces of the Russian army. They partially completed this task, but at the same time created a trap for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Because leaving these areas without loss is much more difficult than holding them …

The enemy is moving some units in order to hold back our advance. But they clearly do not have enough forces and means for this.

As for the general offensive, which supposedly should begin in the coming weeks, according to Alexei Leonkov, no one can know the exact date.

– We don’t want that during the offensive, a column of tanks, turning into combat formation, stumbles upon minefields and suffers significant losses. Therefore, the advance continues until this line of enemy defense is torn apart with one blow, and we enter the operational space. When will it happen? He knows our main command, and everyone else is engaged in “hype”. Do not forget that the success of any operation, especially an offensive one, is surprise.