Germany’s BND foreign intelligence agency is “alarmed” over heavy losses suffered by Ukrainian troops in Ukraine, Germany’s Der Spiegel weekly reported on Jan. 20. Russian and Ukrainian troops are currently battling for control over the strategic Donbass city of Artyomovsk (called Bakhmut by Ukraine), but the situation there does not look particularly bright for Kiev, the paper wrote, citing a “secret” meeting between BND officials and the German MPs responsible for decisions in the realm of security.
“The Ukrainian army is currently losing a three-digit number of soldiers every day,” Der Spiegel reported, citing data reportedly presented by intelligence officials during the closed briefing earlier this week. Also, The Times reported that Kiev had sent poorly equipped troops with little combat experience to defend Artyomovsk.
