Top Russian Security Meeting Evaluates 2.5 Weeks of Ukraine's ‘Counteroffensive’ Disaster

The Russian Security Council meeting met today with both President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu in attendance, to get reports from senior officials, assessing the interim results of the disastrous Ukrainian “counteroffensive.” Secretary of the Security Council Nikolay Patrushev reported that Ukraine had lost over 13,000 troops (killed and wounded) in the 2.5 weeks. Shoigu clarified that the estimate of Ukraine’s losses was preliminary and was mainly based on intercepted communications of Ukrainian military commanders. The reality of Ukrainian forces throwing themselves upon the dug-in Russian defenses, creating a killing field out of the first of the three levels of defenses, has resulted in the last several days in the end of any significant offensive efforts by Kyiv.