MOSCOW, October 16. /TASS/. The troop losses that Kiev is suffering in its counteroffensive are eight times as high as Moscow’s, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with China Media Group.

"They launched an active military operation, the so-called counter-offensive. It has continued since 4 June. No results achieved so far, only massive losses. The losses are simply huge, at a ratio of one to eight," the Russian head of state noted.

Earlier, Putin pointed out that Ukraine’s counteroffensive had completely failed, even though Kiev was planning more offensive operations in some areas. He added that Russian forces were conducting "active defense," improving their positions along almost the entire line of contact in the special military operation zone, including the Kupyansk, Zaporozhye and Avdeyevka areas.