MOSCOW (HRNW) – As many as 354,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured in the Ukraine war which is grinding towards a protracted conflict that may last well beyond 2023, according to a trove of purported U.S. intelligence documents posted online.
If authentic, the documents, which look like secret U.S. assessments of the war as well as some U.S. espionage against allies, offer rare insight into Washington’s view of one of Europe’s deadliest conflicts since World War Two.
Reuters has not been able to independently verify the documents and some countries, including Russia and Ukraine, have questioned their veracity, while U.S. officials say some of the files appear to have been altered.
One Feb. 23, 2023 assessment, titled “Battle for the Donbas Region Likely Heading for a Stalemate Throughout 2023”, says Russia is unlikely to be able to take that part of east Ukraine.
“Russia’s grinding campaign of attrition in the Donbas region is likely heading toward a stalemate, thwarting Moscow’s goal to capture the entire region in 2023,” reads the assessment above a classified map of Russian positions.