US estimates 20,000 Russian casualties in Ukraine war since December.

The US National Security Council has said that over 20,000 Russian combatants have died in the battle for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in the last five months, with a further 80,000 wounded. Half of the dead are from the Wagner private mercenary company. The battle for the small city has taken on huge symbolic importance for both sides, with Ukraine using it to kill as many Russian troops as possible and wear down its reserves. The capture of the city would bring Russia slightly closer to its goal of controlling the whole of Donetsk region.