Lauren Moye, FISM News
Russian President Vladimir Putin has not budged on his brutal invasion of Ukraine, despite mounting setbacks and international condemnation.
Images of a downed Russian drone began circulating late Friday evening on Twitter, then on Sunday morning, reports broke that Russia lost another high-ranking officer. The tide seems to be shifting in the war against the Kremlin, particularly with Western sanctions squeezing Russia’s economy.
Growing frustrations, alongside the appointment of a new general and a shift of focus onto the Donbas region, have experts warning of future brutality against Ukraine.
According to a local report, Russian Colonel Alexandar Bespalov was killed by Ukrainian forces and subsequently buried in Ozersk. The commander of the 59th Guards Tank Regiment is one of two Russian colonels reported to have died since Russia began its Ukrainian invasion roughly six weeks ago. According to the Washington Post, at least seven generals have also died.
Russian losses are mounting, with Ukrainian reports claiming that over 18,000 Russian soldiers have lost their lives so far. If the figures reported by Ukraine are accurate, however, the loss of military aircraft, vehicles, and other weapons could prove to be more devastating to Russia’s conquest. These numbers include 147 aircraft, 134 helicopters, 657 tanks, thousands of other military vehicles, and the viral evidence of the destruction of a Russian unarmed killer drone:
#Ukraine: In the 1st event of its kind in this conflict so far, a Russian Orion UAV was downed by the Ukrainian Air Defences.
This is a very modern Russian Medium-Altitude, Long-Endurance (MALE) Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, and most notably is armed, not merely for reconnaissance. pic.twitter.com/5wh8U9Cj0k
— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) April 8, 2022
As sanctions hinder Russia’s trading abilities and economy, its ability to replace lost equipment is also compromised. As reported by Forbes, the loss of even 1 of 30 killer drones is significant, as Russia’s ability to increase supply is limited while “Kyiv’s is sustainable.”
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reportedly appealed to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about adding more sanctions to Russia. On Saturday through a video address, he asked again for Western nations to place a total ban on Russian energy products including oil and gas.
As human rights violation concerns increase in response to mass Ukrainian civilian casualty reports, public opinion grows increasingly against Russia. According to a CBS poll, 74% of Americans want to see additional sanctions placed on Russia. Additionally, 25% of respondents now support sending U.S. troops into the conflict, an increase from previous polls.
The loss of military force and economic pressure Russia has received has so far done little to dissuade Putin from continuing the invasion. So far, Russia has failed to capture major cities like Kyiv. Instead, intelligence reports show that Putin has retreated his forces from the area around Kyiv to instead concentrate on the Eastern Donbas region.
Putin has also appointed a new war commander according to an anonymous U.S. senior official who spoke to AP News. Experienced Russian General Alexander Dvornikov is known as the “Butcher of Syria,” a nickname earned in part for the brutality he carried out against civilians within that country.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan responded to the news on the Sunday airing of CNN’s “State of the Union,” stating: “This general will just be another author of crimes and brutality against Ukrainian civilians.”
He also said that “no appointment of any general can erase the fact that Russia has already faced a strategic failure in Ukraine.”
Ukraine continues to urge civilians to flee the areas of focused Russian attacks. Nine humanitarian corridors were open Sunday to assist civilians from leaving the Luhansk region and the city of Mariupol.
Russia continues to deny attacking civilians, even after Friday’s attack on a train station filled with evacuees. At least 50 people lost their lives while 300 others were injured.