Russia-Ukraine war: America says number of Russian troop casualties tops 7000

A US intelligence official has estimated the number of Russian troops killed during the war in Ukraine has topped 7000. They say a further 20,000 could be injured.

The number is enough to render units unable to carry out combat tasks.

The figures have been quoted to The New York Times by an American official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Times notes that figures are “inexact” but that intelligence officials came to the figures by analysis of “the news media, Ukrainian figures (which tend to be high, with the latest at 13,500), Russian figures (which tend to be low, with the latest at 498), satellite imagery and careful perusal of video images of Russian tanks and troops that come under fire”.

There are more than 150,000 troops believed to have been stationed outside Ukraine before war broke out three weeks ago.

If correct, the estimated tally means Russia has suffered more casualties in three weeks than the United States did across two decades in Afghanistan.

American international affairs and Russia expert Tom Nichols said it was “an astonishing amount of casualties”.

Pentagon officials say the damage sustained by Russia will impact the will of Russian troops.

It comes as the latest intelligence from the UK’s Ministry of Defence reveals Russian forces are likely resorting to using older weapons because the war is being drawn out longer than they expected or were prepared for.

Satellite images show devastation across Ukraine

Satellite images taken from different parts of Ukraine have shown the damage and destruction inflicted by the ongoing missile attacks and shelling from Russian forces.

UN members call emergency meeting

The United Kingdom, United States, Albania, France, Norway and Ireland have requested an emergency UN Security Council meeting Thursday because of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine, diplomatic sources said.

“Russia is committing war crimes and targeting civilians,” the British diplomatic mission to the UN said Wednesday on its Twitter account.

“Russia’s illegal war on Ukraine is a threat to us all.”

Zelensky says WWIII may have ‘already started’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that World War III may have already begun, following fears from the West that enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine could escalate the situation even further.

Speaking to NBC News’ Lester Holt, Mr Zelensky said WWIII “may have already started”.

“Nobody knows whether it may have already started. And what is the possibility of this war if Ukraine will fall, in case Ukraine will? It’s very hard to say,” the Ukrainian President said.

“And we’ve seen this 80 years ago, when the second World War had started … nobody would be able to predict when the full scale war would start.”

Zelensky’s comments come after he urged Biden to become the “leader of the free world” and impose even more sanctions on Russia.

Biden then announced an US$800 million military assistance package, however, the US and its allies have said going as far to enforce a no-fly zone over the Ukraine could result in an all out war.

One dead as Kyiv hit by strikes at dawn

At least one person has died and three have been left wounded after a downed missile struck a residential building in the Ukranian capital at 5am this morning.

Several residents were evacuated from the building as emergency responders arrived to remove rubble. There are fears more may be trapped in the debris.

Kyiv has been subject to brutal attacks in recent days, with several civilian sites hit by Russian missiles. Footage of a bus being decimated by a Russian strike on Tuesday painted a grim picture of life on the ground in the capital, with a bystander narrowly escaping the blast as it rocked the street.

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