Russia has lost as many troops during its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine as it did in the nine years of Soviet war in Afghanistan, new intel has revealed.
The huge loss of life in only 61 days has been called a massive 'failure of the Russian Ministry of Defence command and control at all levels' by UK's Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace.
In a statement to the House of Commons on Ukraine, Wallace revealed the staggering death toll analysts estimate Russian forces have suffered.
He said: "It is our assessment that approximately 15,000 Russian personnel have been killed during their offensive."
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According to the Atlantic in 2014,14,500 Soviet soldiers were killed in the Soviet War in Afghanistan which lasted from 1979 to 1989.
Academics believe that Russia's failure in the nine year war is believed to have contributed to the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 - which does not bode well for modern day Russia.
When these past numbers are compared to Russia's failures in Ukraine, it could be safe to assume that Russian President Vladimir Putin and other officials are likely fuming over the reality of their bungled invasion and the global backlash against them.
As well as a significant loss of human life, UK's Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace also highlighted the loss of equipment Russia has suffered at the hands of Ukrainian defence forces.
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In particular, he singled out the loss of Russia's Moskva warship, which sunk on April 14 following a Ukrainian missile attack.
He said: "Last week Russia admitted that the Slava-class cruiser Moskva has sunk – the second key naval asset that they have lost since invading – significantly weakening their ability to bring their maritime assets to bear from the Black Sea."
"Russia has so far failed in nearly every one of its objectives," he added, pointing out that Russia expected their special military operation to be carried out over the 'maximum of a week' instead of over two months.
Since Putin's forces invaded neighbouring Ukraine on February 24, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights estimates that at least 2,665 civilians have been killed. The true figure, however, is expected to be much higher.
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According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, over 5.2 million Ukrainian people have fled their home country, while neighbouring Russian citizens have bared the brunt of corporate pull-outs and boycotts thanks to the actions of their government.
If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information.
Rachel Lang