Putin's Military Suffers Over 4,000 Deaths in Just One Week of War

In one week of fighting, 4,560 Russian soldiers have died, and the Kremlin has withdrawn its forces from Kherson in Ukraine, according to a tally of updates from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Russia has struggled to gain footing in its war against Ukraine in the past few weeks, as Ukrainian officials report their adversary is sending troops into Ukraine with World War II-era gear and poorly operating rifles. The wives of mobilized Russian soldiers are complaining that their husbands are being shot at if they attempt to abandon their positions, and are threatening to go to the frontlines to bring their husbands home after a Ukrainian operation wounded many.

As of Friday, nearly 80,000 Russian personnel had been killed by Ukrainian forces since the start of the war, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posted on Facebook. The updates also include destruction done to tanks, personnel vehicles, artillery systems, aircraft and missiles and more.

Russia recently retreated its forces from Kherson, a region in southern Ukraine the Kremlin has occupied since the war began in February—one of the Kremlin's biggest losses yet. The withdrawal means Russia relinquished control of the only provincial capital it had captured during the war back to Ukraine. Visegrad 24, a European online news agency, shared videos of Ukrainian people welcoming their forces into the city.

Ukrainian officials urged caution rather than celebration after the retreat, worried that Russian forces might lay mines and invoke other destructive measures as they retreated. As forces retreated, the Russian military suffered catastrophic losses, as a video from the Ukraine Ministry of Defense on Twitter allegedly showed military equipment unleashing missile after missile against the retreating Russian forces.

Friday's Russian casualties totaled 710, although many of the casualties were reported to come from Bakhmut and not Kherson. Bakhmut is a city in eastern Ukraine that has received heavy fire from Russian forces.

"How many Russian casualties will Ukraine report after yesterday's missile strikes on the Russian troops crossing the Dnipro river? 1000+?," Visegrad 24 tweeted Friday morning. "Will they beat their daily record?"

Ukraine also reportedly destroyed dozens of Russian military vehicles, including tanks, armored personnel vehicles, other vehicles and a helicopter on Friday.

"The pace does not fall. Again over 700," the General Armed Forces of Ukraine post said. "The enemy suffered the greatest losses in the Bakhmut direction."