Russian losses in east ‘worse than ours,’ Ukraine says

• Battle rages for Luhansk and Donetsk provinces in Donbas
• Western analysts say Russian gains limited

KYIV: Ukraine admitted on Friday it was taking heavy losses in Russia’s assault in the east, but said Russia’s losses were even worse.
Having failed in an assault on Kyiv in the north of Ukraine last month, Russia is now trying to fully capture the two eastern provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk in the Donbas region.
Ukraine has acknowledged losing control of some towns and villages there since the assault began last week, but says Moscow’s gains have come at a massive cost to a Russian force already worn down from its earlier defeat near the capital.
“We have serious losses but the Russians’ losses are much, much bigger ... they have colossal losses,” presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said. Western officials said Russia had been suffering fewer casualties after narrowing the scale of its invasion but numbers were still “quite high.”
Ukrainian officials said Russia was pounding the whole front line in Donetsk with rockets, artillery, mortar bombs and aircraft to prevent Ukrainian forces from regrouping.
However, the Russian offensive in Donbas appeared to be behind schedule.
“Due to strong Ukrainian resistance, Russian territorial gains have been limited and achieved at significant cost to Russian forces,” the British Defense Ministry said.
The bloodiest fighting and worst humanitarian catastrophe of the war have been in Mariupol, an eastern port reduced to a wasteland by two months of Russian bombardment and siege.
Ukraine says 100,000 civilians remain in the city, which is mostly occupied by Russia. Hundreds of civilians are holed up with the last remaining defenders in bunkers beneath a steel works.