A senior Western intelligence official briefed by multiple intelligence agencies estimated Tuesday that more than 5,000 Russian soldiers have been captured or killed so far, and that Ukrainian forces have eliminated significant numbers of Russian aircraft and tanks and some air defense systems.
The official said that Russian forces have increased use of artillery north of Kyiv and around the eastern city of Kharkiv and northern city of Chernihiv, and have been using heavier weapons over the last 48 hours.
The official also said that Russian forces are bogging down in the Donbas region in the east, where most Ukrainian forces are concentrated after eight years fighting Russian-backed separatists there. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the intelligence assessment.
Britain is vowing to end London’s status as a haven for oligarchs and their ill-gotten gains with a law intended to prevent the real owners of businesses and properties being hidden from view.
The government said the Economic Crime Bill will force anonymous foreign owners of U.K. property to reveal their real identities ”to ensure criminals cannot hide behind secretive chains of shell companies.” Those who don’t comply face being unable to sell their property or a five-year prison sentence.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the measure, which has to be approved by Parliament, would help “tear back the facade that those supporting (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s campaign of destruction have been hiding behind for so long.”
Successive British governments have promised for years to end London’s status as a safe haven for dirty money, with little effect.
The anti-corruption group Transparency International says Russians linked to the Kremlin or accused of corruption own 1.5 billion pounds’ ($2 billion) worth of London property, and 90,000 properties in Britain are owned by shell companies.
(AP)
5 Responses
If it were our military, that number would be multiplied by four. The Pentagon is more concerned with diversity, gender transformations, hormone therapy, and “woke-ism” than fighting. How to win wars was part of the old curriculum, not the new.
Only a matter of time until 1 of putin’s body guards, has a close relative amongst the 5000+ dead, and shall have more allegiance to his dead relative than to putin, so shall simply assassinate and eliminate putin
May the Russians meet the same end they did in Afghanistan
Putin is playing poker and it turns out his hand isn’t as good as he thought. NATO is actually acting like a military alliance, and he’ll be faced by serious armed forces at his borders, and at best he’ll get is a ruined Ukraine inhabited by revenge-minded guerillas. Even his buddy in China isn’t so sure about supporting him further.
He’ll probably go with “double or nothing”, meaning escalate even if it means risking everything (risking his regime, Russia’s stability, perhaps even the further existence of the human race).
does anyone believe in such a number?
no way!