"For the third week in a row, Russia has lost more than 10,000 troops, including both wounded and killed. This week's average daily losses are around 1,600 troops, meaning that just over 11,000 were lost over the course of the week," Col. Kiviselg said at the Defense Ministry's regular Friday briefing, giving an overview of the 238th week of the war.

"The trend therefore continues, with Russia losing more troops on the battlefield than it is able to recruit," he added.

The head of the Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Center also noted that Ukraine had for the first time released figures on its counteroffensive toward Lyman in Donetsk Oblast where around 85 square kilometers were liberated and cleared during the counteroffensive. "Ukrainian operations in Donetsk Oblast are currently continuing," Kiviselg added.

Turning to other Ukrainian successes, Kiviselg listed continued airstrikes against Russian oil facilities in Krasnodar Krai, Saratov and Samara oblasts and the Republic of Tatarstan, a strike on the port of Makhachkala on the Caspian Sea, attacks on chemical plants in Perm Krai and Volgograd and a strike on a drone factory in Rostov Oblast.

"Among military targets, there have been attacks on airfields in Rostov Oblast, as well as air defense systems and launch sites used to store long-range drones in Rostov and Oryol oblasts. The damage is still being assessed, but the Ukrainians have probably managed to either put some aircraft out of action or damage them and the same applies to helicopters," the colonel added.

Kiviselg also cited a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), according to which the condition of Russia's oil refineries has deteriorated as a result of Ukrainian long-range strikes, while sanctions are hampering efforts to repair damage caused by the airstrikes. The IEA estimates that Russia's oil refining capacity will remain 30 percent below its prewar level for the next 18 months.

Russian continues hitting civilian infrastructure

Although Russia has stepped up pressure on Ukraine by attacking its civilian infrastructure, surveys show that Ukrainians are unwilling to give in despite the hardships caused, Kiviselg said.

"Russian long-range strikes have continued to hit critical and strategic infrastructure in Ukraine this week, as well as residential buildings, potential warehouses, shopping centers, gas stations, vehicles and businesses in at least 17 Ukrainian oblasts. In approximately half of those oblasts, the attacks have also caused disruptions to energy supplies," he said.

Russia has once again begun using relay stations in Belarus to carry out such attacks after they had been out of operation for a period, meaning Russian strikes can now reach western Ukraine and are likely to be more accurate and effective, Kiviselg added.

The head of the EDF Intelligence Center also noted that Russia has attacked around 500 locomotives in Ukraine over the course of the full-scale war. This year, around 10 warehouses holding U.N. humanitarian supplies have been attacked, along with four pharmaceutical warehouses in September.

"So it is very clear that the Russians continue to target civilian sites," he said. "The Russian Federation is doing everything it can to make the coming winter and getting through it as difficult as possible for Ukrainians."

At the same time, recent polls in Ukraine show that around 77 percent of the Ukrainian population do not want to give in to Russia's demands or accept Ukraine's defeat and believe resistance should continue even if they have to cope for periods this winter without electricity, hot water or sewage services, Col. Kiviselg said.

The intelligence chief also highlighted a Russian drone strike on September 13 against a train at Yahodyn station near the Ukrainian-Polish border. Foreign guests who had attended the Yalta European Strategy forum and were traveling to Poland were also nearby. "The guests included many former heads of state and government, former and current senior government officials, lawmakers and experts. The good news is that none of the foreign guests were injured in the attack," he said.

Russia has said it attacks only military targets and logistics infrastructure used for military purposes and has previously warned Ukrainians and Western countries about similar attacks, saying it cannot guarantee the safety of foreign visitors in Ukraine and advising foreign nationals to leave the country, Kiviselg recalled. He said this latest incident was another Russian attempt to influence Western policymakers to withdraw their support for Ukraine.

"In response, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has said that Russia's hopes of undermining unity among Ukraine's supporters and bringing support for Ukraine to an end will not be realized and that assistance to Kyiv will instead be increased," the colonel said.

Commenting on an idea raised last week for both sides to halt attacks on energy infrastructure, Kiviselg noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed ending attacks on Russian oil refineries and other fuel infrastructure on the condition that Russia stops attacking Ukraine's electricity grid and gas infrastructure.

"Ukraine wants an agreement banning all attacks on all energy infrastructure and is waiting for Russia to provide a list of facilities that would be exempt from attack under a potential ceasefire covering energy infrastructure," he added.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and X and never miss an update!