'Up to 20%' of Kiev's Weapons Destroyed or Damaged in First 2 Weeks of Counteroffensive

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - In the first two weeks of Ukraine's offensive up to 20% of the weapons Kiev sent to the battlefield were destroyed or damaged, including tanks and armored vehicles that Ukrainians planned to use in the advance on Russian positions, a American daily newspaper reported on Saturday, citing US and European officials.

In the recent weeks, the casualty rate dropped to about 10%, with the losses becoming lower because the counteroffensive itself slowed down, the report read, citing sources. The changes also occurred because Ukraine changed its tactics, allegedly focusing on wearing down Russian troops, the report said.

A Ukrainian soldier said his squad's UAV filmed about half a dozen Western armored vehicles that had been shelled by the Russian artillery.

"They all burned," he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Ukraine's much-touted counteroffensive kicked off in early June after months of delays over a lack of military supplies from Western donors. The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian troops kept trying but were failing to advance. A number of Western media also noted the weak results of Kiev's counteroffensive, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky himself admitted that progress was "slower than desired."

Since the beginning of Ukraine's counteroffensive, Russia has destroyed 21 Ukrainian aircraft, five helicopters, some 1,244 tanks, another 1,244 Ukrainian armored vehicles destroyed, including 17 Leopard tanks, five French AMX wheeled tanks, 914 units of special vehicles, two air defense systems, 25 MLRS vehicles, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.