MOSCOW, June 26. /TASS/. The situation at the Donetsk contact line swung in favor of Russia after Ukrainian forces started making their offensive attempts, as indicated by enemy casualties, Acting DPR Head Denis Pushilin’s advisor Yan Gagin told reporters.
"Since the beginning of the counteroffensive, the situation shifted in our favor, if only because since the 4th [of June], they have lost 13,000 personnel; these are their own numbers, not counting those missing in action, medical casualties, the wounded and seriously injured who will never return to action. You must understand that 13,000 in one or two weeks is a horrific figure," he said, answering a question from TASS.
For comparison, Gagin noted the USSR’s casualties during the war in Afghanistan.
"During the entire war in Afghanistan, the Soviet Union lost 15,000 troops. And these were years and years of war in Afghanistan. Here, it is just three weeks," he added.
Pushilin’s advisor pointed out that the enemy is taking serious losses both deep behind the contact line and in the frontline area.
"Some vehicles, including NATO ones, simply do not reach the contact line, disappearing somewhere in the rear, just like ammunition depots, supply stores and reserves. We strike the enemy’s home front in particular, it is rather efficient; it is a professional operation by our intelligence, in combination with the Aerospace Forces and artillery," he specified.
Meanwhile, Gagin noted that Ukrainian forces continue to carry out strikes on civilians in the DPR’s frontline settlements.
"It is inhumane, but these are their tactics, and they use them against the civilian population, and we have casualties every day," he underscored.
Previously, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Ukrainian forces have been making futile offensive attempts since June 4. On June 22, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev said that Ukrainian forces have lost over 13,000 people since the beginning of the counteroffensive. Russian President Vladimir Putin underscored that Kiev’s forces have not achieved any success in any area.