Russia's Shoigu says 71 Russian soldiers killed in 'unsuccessful' Ukrainian offensive

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that 71 Russian soldiers had been killed in what he called a failed Ukrainian offensive in recent days. Russia only rarely gives casualty figures from the Ukraine conflict, and has been accused by critics of understating the number of military personnel killed and wounded in Ukraine. Reuters was unable to verify the reports.

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that 71 Russian soldiers had been killed in what he called a failed Ukrainian offensive in recent days. In a statement posted to Telegram by the defence ministry, Shoigu was cited as saying that 15 Russian tanks and 9 armoured vehicles as having been destroyed during the fighting.

"I repeat, the enemy did not achieve its goals, suffered significant and incomparable losses," the statement quoted Shoigu as saying. Russia only rarely gives casualty figures from the Ukraine conflict, and has been accused by critics of understating the number of military personnel killed and wounded in Ukraine.

Reuters was unable to verify the reports.