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Ukraine’s military said that it destroyed a bridge of strategic importance to Russian forces while announcing “confirmed losses of the enemy” on Friday.
Ukraine’s Operational Command South reported on Facebook that the situation on Friday was “under control” but “tense.” One key victory may have been the destruction of a bridge over the Nova Kakhovka dam in a Russian-occupied area of central Ukraine. Ukraine said the destruction of the bridge was particularly notable because it was the last bridge Russia was using to transport military equipment in the Kherson region.
“Today, the Armed Forces of Ukraine targeted the last – the fourth bridge, which connected the right and left banks,” Kherson Governor Serhiy Khlan wrote in a separate Facebook post. “That is, the Russians no longer have any opportunity to completely transfer their equipment.”
“Of course, they will try to repair it, look for an alternative crossing, but it takes time and money and as soon as they prepare and gather equipment and strength, we will destroy it again,” he added.
The Ukrainian military said that losses for Russia on Friday also included the death of 46 troops and the destruction of 15 armored vehicles. Ukraine also said that 11 Russian ships and boats remained in the Black Sea, including at least two capable of launching missiles.
The strike that resulted in the destruction of the bridge was said to be in response to a Russian missile launched from a Sukhoi Su-35 aircraft in the Mykolaiv province. Ukraine said that the Russian missile did not cause any casualties or significant destruction.
In a Telegram post on Friday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that approximately 43,200 troops had been killed since Russia invaded the country on February 24.
The total number of Russian soldiers injured during the war is unclear. Colin Kahl, the U.S. Department of Defense undersecretary for policy, said during a press briefing on Monday that Russia had “probably taken 70 or 80,000 casualties,” including both injuries and deaths.
If Kahl’s figure is correct, Russian forces would have absorbed more casualties during six months in Ukraine than the U.S. military did during the entire Revolutionary War, which lasted more than eight years.
The Ukrainian military also said that total Russian losses included 1,849 tanks, 4,108 armored vehicles, 136 air defense systems, 233 aircraft, 193 helicopters, 778 drones, 975 artillery systems, 261 anti-aircraft missiles, 85 cruise missiles, 13 ships and boats, 90 units of special equipment and 3,021 other vehicles and fuel tanks.
The Ukrainian Army said on Thursday that the Russian military had launched airstrikes in eastern Ukraine to “make up for the loss of personnel and equipment.” Ukraine said that the attacks and Russian attempts to advance further east either “did not succeed” or were only “partially successful.”
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian government for comment.