Ukrainian morgues seeing 'more or less double' the fatalities since counter-offensive began

While Ukraine does not disclose the number of casualties it has sustained, General Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, estimated in February that Ukraine had lost more than 100,000 soldiers since the war began last year.

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• Ukraine began its summer counteroffensive in June, armed with Western tanks and weapons.
• In the time since, morgues are seeing "more or less double" the fatalities, NYT reported.
• US officials estimated this year that Ukraine had lost more than 100,000 soldiers since the war began.

The Ukrainian summer counteroffensive began in June, and, despite Western allies supplying advanced tanks and weaponry, the country's recent moves against Russian combatants have resulted in only modest gains — and heavy casualties.

The New York Times reported morgues in the country are seeing vastly increased fatalities due to the heightened fighting.

"There are many more bodies at the moment," the outlet reported Taras Svystun, a soldier on a six-man crew responsible for recovering and identifying deceased servicemen, said. The total dead in the local morgues is "more or less double since the counteroffensive" started, added.

Though Ukraine doesn't publicly share the total number of casualties it has sustained, Insider reported General Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, estimated in February that Ukraine had lost more than 100,000 soldiers since the war began last year. 

Representatives for the Russian Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Insider previously reported that Ukrainian troops are taking heavy damage from old-fashioned wartime tactics, including mines and booby traps, high-tech drone attacks, and advanced weapons systems.

While the US and other allies have provided formidable battle tanks, armored fighting vehicles, and massive amounts of ammunition, Insider reported the modest gains won so far in the summer counteroffensive have prompted Ukrainian troops to abandon Western tactics and strategies in favor of wearing the enemy down with barrages of missiles.

Seth Jones, the director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS, International Security Program, previously told Insider that, while it remains unclear how the Russian invasion of Ukraine will continue to unfold, the war could drag on without a cease-fire for years.

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