Putin claims Ukraine suffering 'catastrophic' losses
President Vladimir Putin claimed on Tuesday that Ukraine was suffering massive losses in its long-awaited counter-offensive against Russian forces in Ukraine, saying Kyiv's casualties were ten times higher than Moscow's. His assessment came hours after Russia asserted having captured Western armoured vehicles from Kyiv's forces on the battlefield and following deadly Russian missile strikes on the Ukrainian leader's hometown. "Their losses are approaching a level that could be described as catastrophic," Putin said during a meeting in the Kremlin with Russian journalists and bloggers covering the conflict. "We have 10 times fewer losses than those of the armed forces of Ukraine," he noted, citing a ratio that could not be independently confirmed. Kyiv over recent days has claimed to re-capture a series of villages in its eastern Donetsk region after launching a long-awaited offensive bolstered with Western weapons and training. Putin however conceded during the meeting in the Kremlin that Russian forces were suffering from depleting stockpiles of some military equipment, pointing in particular to attack drones and missiles. "High-precision ammunition, communications equipment, drones etc... We have them, but unfortunately, there is not enough." He acknowledged that authorities could have better anticipated recent cross-border attacks into Russia from Ukraine that forced Moscow to deploy artillery and fighter jets on its own territory. (AFP)