A Russian soldier
Representation. A Russian soldier stands guard at the Luhansk power plant in the town of Shchastya. ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images

KEY POINTS

  • A Ukrainian commander in the south said the Russians are already in a 'pretty difficult situation'
  • The Russian army has reportedly lost approximately 65,000 soldiers
  • Russia is said to have suffered the biggest losses in the Kryvyi Rizky and Bakhmuts'komu directions

Russia is suffering massive military losses in its war against Ukraine as the latter continues its push to recapture occupied territories in the southern regions, according to a Ukrainian official.

Currently, the ratio of losses between Ukrainian and Russian forces in the south amid Kyiv's counteroffensive operation is approximately 1 to 6.5. That ratio could go up to 1 Ukrainian soldier to 8 Russian troops if the war reaches its critical point, Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said, citing the Commander of Operational Command South Andrii Kovalchuk.

"Andriy Trohimovich told interesting facts about the demoralization of enemy units in the south and increasing enemy losses. The loss rate is about 1 to 6.5. According to him, the critical limit of the loss ratio is 1 to 8, after which the enemy army will psychologically 'fall apart,'" Maliar wrote in a Facebook post.

"According to the Commander, the enemy is already in a pretty difficult situation in the south, but it's not time to relax. On the contrary, we need to gather all our power and power and squeeze the Russian army out of our land," Maliar stated.

As of Sunday, the total combat losses of the Russian army were estimated to be at 65,000. The Russians have so far suffered the biggest losses in the Kryvyi Rizky and Bakhmuts'komu directions since the beginning of the war, according to a report from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

The new details come as the Russian army continues to suffer from low morale, reports say. Part of the reason for Russia's flagging morale is the arrival of newly-mobilized soldiers on the frontline without receiving any combat training. Soldiers who are already in the region also struggle with decreasing morale levels as many hope to be sent home on rotation.

"The demoralization is growing among the occupiers, among those who remained part of the Ruscists forces in the occupied territories, because they expected that with the arrival of newly mobilized soldiers, they would be sent home on rotation. This absolutely isn't happening," Serhii Khlan, deputy of the Kherson Regional Council, said on national television, as quoted by Ukrinform.

As of Oct. 12, the Armed Forces of Ukraine successfully liberated 75 settlements in the southern Kherson region.

A ritual worker picks up the body of a killed Russian soldier before loading them to a refrigerated rail car, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, at a compound of a morgue in Kharkiv, Ukraine May 22, 2022.
A ritual worker picks up the body of a killed Russian soldier before loading them to a refrigerated rail car, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, at a compound of a morgue in Kharkiv, Ukraine May 22, 2022. Reuters / STRINGER