President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Russian army has suffered record losses in battles and assaults during November and December.
“These months – November and December – record Russian losses,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
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He thanked the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) for striking military facilities in Russian regions early on Wednesday, Dec. 11.
“Military facilities on the territory of Russia were hit, as well as facilities of the fuel and energy complex, which is working on aggression against our state and people,” Zelensky said.
In the early hours of Dec. 11, multiple explosions struck Taganrog in Russia’s Rostov region, which Governor Yuri Slyusar described as a “missile strike.”
The attack, reported around 4:20 a.m., damaged an industrial site, burned 14 vehicles, and disrupted heating for 27 apartment buildings after a boiler room was hit.
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Meanwhile, explosions in Russia’s Bryansk region, attributed to Ukrainian drones, damaged an industrial facility. The Druzhba oil pipeline filling station near Bryansk was reportedly hit, causing a fire that was later extinguished.
Zelensky said that Oleksandr Syrsky, commander-in-chief of the AFU, had detailed the extent of the damage.
“This is exactly the kind of range and accuracy that, step by step, is bringing Russia back to reality – to the reality that the war must be ended,” Zelensky wrote.
Syrsky also provided updates on the main front lines, noting that the most intense fighting continues in the Donetsk region, particularly in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove sectors.
“Fighting continues. The Russian army, as in November, is now, in December, spending a record amount of its people in battles and assaults,” Zelensky said, citing Syrsky’s report.
He also commended the soldiers of the 68th Separate Jaeger Brigade, the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade, and the 38th Separate Marine Brigade for their efforts at the front.
Syrsky further addressed the situation in areas where the Kursk operation was conducted.
We are reducing the Russian military potential as much as possible – this is our main goal now.
“We are reducing the Russian military potential as much as possible – this is our main goal now,” Zelensky added.
Reports from Ukrainian servicemembers suggest that Russian forces are increasingly relying on “meat assaults.” Junior Sergeant Stanislav Bunyatov of the 24th Aidar Assault Battalion wrote on Telegram:
“Today, the fa****s resumed their meaty assaults in the sector of Torske (Donetsk region). There are many fa****s in the area; in some places, they use military vehicles... Several dozen have already died, and evacuation is almost not carried out.”
He also reported that in the Kurakhove “pocket,” Russian troops are conducting active assault raids, attacking from several directions simultaneously with two to three infantry fighting vehicles (BMPs) each, regularly reinforcing assaults with additional manpower.
Previously, a company commander from the 92nd Assault Battalion, known by the call sign “Chervony” [Red], stated that Russia often deploys its least trained soldiers in meat assaults.
“Of course, those about whom they are not concerned are pushed forward. Mostly these are former convicts, the least trained fighters. And the practices of meat assaults, which we prevent, are encountered,” he said.
He said that Russian tactics involve sending unskilled manpower to seize positions, with more experienced units following only after the first waves attempt to establish a foothold.
At the end of October, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported that the Russian command was also deploying lightly wounded soldiers in these “meat assaults.”
Russian casualties in Ukraine reached record levels in November 2024, with Nov. 29 being the deadliest single day for Russian forces since World War II, according to Ukrainian Army General Staff data. That day, as Russian forces launched multiple frontal assaults in the Donbas and Kursk regions, 2,030 soldiers were killed or severely wounded.
Icelandic military analyst Ragnar Gudmundsson highlighted November’s unprecedented losses, reporting weekly Russian casualties ranged between 9,300 and 10,900 men. Heavier losses have accompanied increased assault attempts, particularly in the Donbas region, where Russian forces aim to seize logistics hubs like Pokrovsk and Kurakhove.
As per Kyiv Post’s report, Russian assaults often involve poorly equipped troops using unconventional vehicles such as trucks, motorcycles, and even quadracycles. Ukrainian drones, financed largely through grassroots efforts, have been pivotal in cutting down these attacks, frequently capturing footage of Russian soldiers stranded without medical support after being injured.
Ukraine estimates total Russian casualties since February 2022 at over 750,000 soldiers killed or severely wounded. Despite Moscow’s claims of minor gains, Ukraine’s defense continues to exact a heavy toll on the Kremlin’s forces.
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