Russia Forced to Build 3 Hospitals in a Week Amid Mounting Losses: Ukraine

As Russian losses continue in Ukraine, its military was forced to construct three new hospitals in one week, Kyiv said on Tuesday.

The war has exposed weaknesses among Russian President Vladimir Putin's troops, which have reportedly taken substantial combat losses. Ukraine said on Tuesday that 112,470 Russian troops have been killed in combat, though that number could not be independently verified by Newsweek. Other estimates have placed that estimate lower.

In a daily update, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Russia built three new hospitals in an effort to deal with the growing number of injuries and deaths among their troops, as other hospitals had run out of room to treat wounded soldiers.

"The adversary continues to suffer losses. According to the available information, hospitals in the city of Berdyans'k (Zaporizhzhia oblast) have exceeded their capacity to take in the wounded. This caused the Russian occupation troops to set up 3 more military hospitals over the past week," the statement read.

More information about these hospitals, including their scope and location, remained unknown Tuesday afternoon. Russia had not confirmed the construction of the facilities at the time of publication.

Ukraine's claims are the latest indication that Russia continues dealing with a high rate of attrition. In addition to a high number of reported troop deaths, many Russian citizens have sought to evade fighting in the war, largely out of concern for their own lives.

These reports began as early as last March, even before it became clear that Russia would for months struggle to achieve any goals in Ukraine. Just weeks after the war began, a Russian newspaper reported that civilians were being turned away from hospitals due to a high number of wounded soldiers.

In September, Ukraine claimed that Russia sent wounded soldiers from hospitals back to the frontlines as they sought to mitigate their losses.

Russia continues facing difficult positioning on the battlefield, as both militaries are engaged in a bloody battle to control Bakhmut, a key city in Ukraine's Donetsk region. Both sides have reportedly suffered significant losses in combat. Meanwhile, Russia said a Ukrainian strike on one nearby city on New Year's Day killed 89 servicemen.

Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, in their unverified tally of Russian troop deaths, estimated that more than 700 Russian soldiers were killed in a 24-hour period.

Newsweek reached out to Russia and Ukraine's defense ministries for comment.