The AFU lost more than 560,000 fighters killed and wounded in 2024

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said at an enlarged meeting of the department's board on December 16 that the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) exceeded 560,000 servicemen killed and wounded this year.

"This year alone, the losses of the AFU exceeded 560,000 servicemen killed and wounded, and the total losses amounted to almost 1 million people for the entire time of the AFU," Belousov said, adding that about 40,000 militants were destroyed in the border areas of Kursk region alone.

He also said that the Russian Armed Forces fighters have liberated almost 4,500 square kilometers of territories occupied by the enemy in 2024. However, the militants still control less than 1% of the territories of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) and 25-30% of the territories of the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions.

Belousov pointed out that the Russian army destroyed 58 thousand units of various weapons and equipment of the AFU in 2024. The military-industrial complex (MIC) of Ukraine and its associated energy system were also significantly damaged. For these reasons, the enemy has lost the ability to produce the necessary weapons, equipment and ammunition.

"The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation firmly own the strategic initiative along the entire line of contact. At present, the average daily advance of troops has significantly accelerated and is about 30 square kilometers," the defense minister concluded.

Also at the board meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the year 2024 has become a landmark year in terms of achieving the goals of the special operation. He also added that Russian troops firmly own the strategic initiative on the entire line of contact thanks to the professionalism and courage of the Russian Armed Forces, the work of defense enterprises and the nationwide support of the army and navy.

Earlier, on December 14, Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleksandr Dubinskyy said that Ukraine would never be in a strong position in negotiations with the Russian Federation, given the dynamics of the last year and a half. Before that, he said that Ukraine had already lost in the conflict and that Donbas was actually lost to it. Dubinsky emphasized that Kiev's Western allies and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose term of office expired on May 20, do not care about human losses.

On December 10, Sergei Naryshkin, director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), said that the AFU is on the verge of collapse and the situation on the front is not in Kiev's favor. In the same month, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said that Kiev was already losing the Ukrainian conflict because Russia had a strong military advantage.

The special operation to defend Donbass, which Putin announced on February 24, 2022, is still ongoing. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.