Author of the article: Date of publication: 08 Apr 2022 • 1 hour ago • 2 minutes reading • 116 comments Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov attends joint press conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow, Russia. / Sergey Guneev / Kremlin via REUTERS
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The Kremlin said on Friday that what it called Russia’s “special operation” in Ukraine could end in the “foreseeable future” as its goals were achieved and the work was being carried out by both the Russian military and Russian peace negotiators.
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Russia has previously acknowledged that its attack did not go as fast as it wanted, but on Thursday Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov lamented the death toll. In an interview with Sky News, Peshkov said: “We have significant troop losses. “It’s a huge tragedy for us.” NATO estimates that Russia lost 7,000 to 15,000 troops during the six-week war – a staggering number – while Ukraine puts the figure at 18,600. These numbers rival, if not exceed, the 14,453 lost during the Soviet Union’s nearly 10-year war in Afghanistan and the 11,000 Russian soldiers killed in the two wars in Chechnya. Russia raises the official military death toll from the Ukrainian campaign to 1,351. Peshkov vaguely discussed the possibility of ending the war in Ukraine.
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“Our army is doing its best to end this operation,” he said in a statement. “And we hope that in the coming days, in the near future, this operation will achieve its goals or conclude it with the negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations.” He did not give further details on how the “special operation” in Ukraine would end. Speaking in Brussels earlier this week, however, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the war could last “for weeks, but also months, and possibly years”. “We have no indication that President Putin has changed his general goal. That is, to control Ukraine and achieve significant military victories on the battlefield. “We do not see a Russian retreat,” he said. “What we are seeing is the Russian reorganization and repositioning of their forces.” A “major Russian attack” is expected in Donbas, he said. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba called on NATO to provide weapons that he said were urgently needed. “I came here today to discuss three most important things: guns, weapons and weapons. “Ukraine’s urgent needs, the sustainability of supplies and the long-term solutions that will help Ukraine prevail,” Kuleba wrote on Twitter.
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He met with Secretary General @jensstoltenberg at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. I came here today to discuss three most important things: guns, weapons and weapons. Ukraine’s urgent needs, the sustainability of supplies and the long-term solutions that will help Ukraine prevail. pic.twitter.com/247GdqdPwj
– Dmytro Kuleba (myDmytroKuleba) April 7, 2022
“The Battle of Donbass will remind you of World War II,” he told Brussels. “Either you help us now… or your help will come too late.”
Peshkov also said that Moscow understood that some countries trying to adopt a balanced position had been pressured to vote on Thursday on the suspension of Russia by the UN Human Rights Council.
The UN General Assembly suspended Russia from the Council on Thursday amid reports of “blatant and systematic human rights abuses and violations” in Ukraine, prompting Moscow to announce its withdrawal from the body.
With additional reports from Reuters and the Washington Post
