Russian casualties at record high as Western weapons and economic woes plague invasion

Western defence officials say Russia is losing more than 1,000 soldiers a day and its economy is losing steam in support of Vladimir Putin's "special operation" in Ukraine.

Russia's armed forces have reportedly lost more than half a million troops since the invasion began in February 2022.

Now officials believe the United States' decision to allow Ukraine more freedom with Western-supplied weapons is also affecting Russia's ability to fight.

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It is believed that Russia sustains a record-high 1,200 casualties every day due to its 'meat grinder' tactics and use of suicide waves.

Officials also believe the ongoing battles around Kharkiv in the north of Ukraine are the start of Russia's summer offensive.

However, they said intelligence is yet to show any build-up of Russian reserves which would be an indicator that a large-scale attack was being planned.

Furthermore, the decision by France and the US to allow Ukraine to fire Western missiles into Russia itself is believed to be having an effect as it is forcing Moscow to pull back concentrations of troops and many of its aircraft.

Russia's economy was heavily sanctioned at the start of the war, and now officials believe it is showing signs of slowing down as growth went down to 2.3%, and shortages are being felt in terms of capital and labour.

Kyiv has militarised its industry to support the war, but now inflation has reached 16%, forcing the Russians to become even more dependent on North Korea, Iran and China.