Russia's Defense Ministry Claims Ukrainian Losses Near 1,900 Troops in Battlegroup East Area

Russia's Defense Ministry has claimed that Ukrainian forces lost more than 1,900 troops over the past week in the area of operations attributed to Russia's Battlegroup East, according to Russian military officials cited by state media.

Separately, the ministry reported that Russian forces struck five dry cargo ships said to be used by the Ukrainian military, with the strikes carried out using Geran drones in the Black Sea and at the port of Odessa.

The figures and details come from Russia's Defense Ministry and have not been independently verified. Ukrainian officials have not been quoted confirming these specific claims in the reporting.

Reports of troop losses and strikes on maritime targets are issued regularly by Russia's military as part of its updates on the war, and such figures are frequently disputed or unconfirmed by independent sources.

The claims add to the ongoing exchange of battlefield reporting from both sides of the conflict, with each side's figures typically reflecting its own assessment of the fighting.