A new batch of leaked Pentagon documents reveals infighting among Russian officials over the country's death toll in Ukraine.
The documents, which date to late February, include analyses of intercepted Russian communications by U.S. intelligence.
- According
to the documents, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) intelligence
agency accused the Russian Defense Ministry of "obfuscating Russian
casualties in Ukraine."
- FSB officials purportedly argued that
Moscow's official death toll failed to include casualties from soldiers
serving in the Russian National Guard, the Wagner mercenary group, and
Russian-aligned Chechnyan fighters.
- The document says the FSB's more comprehensive casualty toll, which includes dead and injured, is "closer to 110,000."
- The
document, dated Feb. 28, argued that the infighting illustrated "the
continuing reluctance of military officials to convey bad news up the
chain of command."
- The Defense Ministry last issued an official
death toll in September, when defense minister Sergei Shoigu said that
5,937 Russian troops had been killed in Ukraine.
- According to a U.S. estimate, Russia suffered ~200,000 casualties in the first year of the war.
- According
to another document, Russian President Vladimir Putin brokered a
meeting between Shoigu and Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to
resolve a dispute about ammunition on Feb. 22.
- Prior
to the meeting, Prigozhin accused Shoigu and a senior general of
treason, saying that they failed to provide ammunition to his mercenary
army.
