Russia said it shot down a plane carrying weapons for Kyiv, stating the losses of Ukrainian troops

“Near Odessa (city in southern Ukraine), the Russian air defense forces recently shot down a Ukrainian transport plane carrying a large shipment of weapons supplied to Ukraine by Western countries,” a ministry spokesman said. Russian Defense Minister Igor Konashenkov confirmed on April 16, according to TASS news agency.

Spokesman of the Russian Ministry of Defense Igor Konashenkov Screen Capture TASS

Konashenkov also said that Russian missile forces had hit 317 military facilities, 24 command posts, and shot down two Ukrainian drones in the previous 24 hours. There is no information on the reaction of the Ukrainian side to the new statement from Mr. Konashenkov.

Also on April 16, Konashenkov said that the irreparable loss of life of Ukrainian troops, including foreign mercenaries, was 23,367 people, according to TASS. He also gave information Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky provided CNN on April 15 that Ukraine had between 2,500-3,000 servicemen killed in battle is a lie.

There is no information on Konashenkov’s reaction to the number of Russian losses announced by President Zelensky on April 15, which is between 19,000 and 20,000 soldiers. Last month, Moscow said 1,351 Russian soldiers killed and 3,825 wounded.

So far, neither Russia nor Ukraine have released civilian casualties. Meanwhile, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on April 13 estimated at least 1,964 civilians have been killed and 2,613 injured in Ukraine since Russia launched the offensive. military campaign on February 24, according to NHK. In addition, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that as of April 13, more than 4.73 million people had left Ukraine because of the fighting.