NATO Official Says Russia Suffered 50,000 Casualties in Ukraine Last Month as Commander Urges More Europe Aid

The official said the Russian military has been trying to make offensive gains in Ukraine, sending troops into “kill zones” rife with armed drones, land mines, artillery fire and other defenses. The official did not give a more precise breakdown of the Russian casualties or say where the fighting took place. The casualty figures covered last month, the official said.

In a separate interview, General Alexus Grynkewich, supreme allied commander Europe, told Bloomberg Television in Poland on Sunday that Europeans should increase support to Ukraine in response to Russian hybrid attacks. Grynkewich, the head of NATO's military operations, said Russia is trying to break the collective will of the alliance and its partners. “They’re trying to break our collective will,” he said.

Grynkewich was commenting on what the report called an intensifying wave of Russian aggression against Europe. That aggression has included incursions into NATO airspace, arson, sabotage and cyberattacks, he said. His remarks were made during an interview with Bloomberg Television in Poland, a NATO member on the alliance's eastern flank.

The NATO commander's call for more European support for Ukraine came as the alliance continued to weigh the costs of Russia's war. The senior NATO military official described the Russian losses as vastly more than those of Ukrainian forces. Ukraine's roughly 5,000 casualties in the same period were far lower, the official said. The official was not identified because of the sensitivity of the information.

The Bloomberg Television interview did not specify what additional support Grynkewich sought or how European governments might respond. It also did not provide a timeline for the hybrid attacks he described. The report said a NATO commander believes Ukraine aid will deter the threat Putin poses to Europe.