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Russian military troops have retreated multiple times after suffering significant losses in the ongoing war in Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities said.
In a post on Facebook, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (UAF) said Ukrainian Defense Forces have forced Russians conducting assault operations in areas across the Donestk region — including Kramatorsk, Bakhmut and Lozove — to retreat.
In addition, the Ukrainian army also said it successfully repelled Russian advances in the southwestern city of Dolyna and is currently defending Mazanivka where the fighting is ongoing.
While the UAF General Staff did not specify how many Russian soldiers have died in the war, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on Wednesday said it has killed a total of 36,500 Russian soldiers and destroyed more than 1,500 tanks, 3,700 armored fighting vehicles and 800 artillery systems since the war began in February.
Reports of Russian soldiers retreating from the frontline come a week after they were forced to flee from Zmiyny Island, also known as “Snake Island,” which is a strategically important outpost in the Black Sea.
The retreat from Snake Island came after Ukrainian forces leveled sustained attacks against Russian soldiers in the area using powerful weapons, some of which were given by the West. The attacks made it impossible for Russian forces to continue their hold on the island.
“Another strike of the #UAarmy on the Russian troops on Snake Island. The occupiers lost an anti-aircraft system Pantsir (SA-22 Greyhound). The cleaning of our land will continue as long as needed,” Ukraine’s defense ministry said in a post in late June.
Retreating from Snake Island means the Russians would lose their ability to stop shipping from the Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea. The halt on shipping earlier stopped the flow of grain and oilseeds to other nations, which led to the rising cost of food and shortages in the food supply. The Russians also caused a famine in some countries, especially those in Africa, when they cut off shipping from Ukrainian ports, according to The New York Times.
Despite the Russians retreating from Snake Island, it is unclear whether the Ukrainians would attempt to restore their own garrison on Zmiyny as the area is vulnerable to attack.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives for a meeting with Ireland’s Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Micheal Martin, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine July 6, 2022. Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS
Photo: Reuters / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SER
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