Zelenskyy: 1,300 Ukrainian troops killed, Russian losses ‘colossal’

(Update 1: Adds Ukrainian army death toll, re-ledes, alters headline)

Lviv, Ukraine, Mar 12 (EFE).- Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday said 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since Russia launched its invasion but claimed losses among Russian ranks had been“colossal.”

The president said during a conference of international journalists that 12,000 Russian servicemen had been killed since the invasion began, although these figures could not be independently verified.

It was the first time that Zelenskyy gave a public tally of the number of Ukrainian servicemen killed in action, according to the local news agency Unian.

In a Telegram video message published by the local Interfax-Ukraine news agency earlier on Saturday, Zelenskyy said: “The losses among Russian troops are colossal. The dynamics of the invaders’ losses on the 17th is already such that we can confidently say: this is the biggest blow to the Russian army in decades,” he said.

“They never had so many losses in such a number of days,” he added.

Since the invasion began on 24 February, 31 Russian battalion tactical groups have lost their combat capability, he claimed.

“The Russian army surrenders not only individually, but in entire groups… The invaders’ losses in technical capabilities are simply staggering,” he stressed.

“Over 360 tanks. A total of 1,205 armored vehicles. And this is without counting the losses in the battles tonight and tomorrow.

“Already about 60 planes. More than 80 helicopters. Hundreds and hundreds of units of other equipment. In particular, the most modern designs that Russia is proud of,” he added. EFE

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