Russia Facing Tough Choice After Four SAM Launchers Wiped Out in a Week

Russia has lost four surface-to-air missile (SAM) launchers in one week, according to an update by the British Ministry of Defence.

The government agency said in a defense update posted on X, formerly Twitter, regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine that according to Russian media, three SAM launchers had been destroyed in the Luhansk region. It added that "Ukrainian sources" confirmed another was destroyed in occupied Crimea.

"Russia has long prioritized ample, high-tech, long range SAM systems as a key component of its military strategy," the ministry said in its daily bulletin. The update claims Moscow's recent losses "highlight that Russia's Integrated Air Defense System continues to struggle against modern precision strike weapons and will highly likely increase the already significant strain on remaining systems and operators."

Oryx, which employs open-source intelligence to track equipment losses on both sides, has so far documented the loss of 175 SAM systems since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The data claims 122 of these have been destroyed, 25 have been damaged, 24 have been captured, with a further two abandoned by Russian forces.

Ukraine has lost fewer SAM launchers, with Oryx finding 129 losses so far. Of these, 129 have been destroyed, 107 have been damaged, six have been captured and only one has been abandoned.

The British intelligence update comes as Ukraine claims Kremlin forces have lost 5,223 tanks, 9,834 armored fighting vehicles, 9,624 vehicles, 7,250 artillery systems, 5,468 drones, 846 multiple launch rocket systems, 563 air defense missile systems, 324 helicopters, 321 planes, 20 ships and boats, and a single submarine.

However, estimates from non-government-aligned sources such as Oryx offer lower numbers. For example, Oryx reported that as of Thursday, the count of Russian tanks lost stood at 2,450. Of that figure, 1,607 have been destroyed, 139 have been damaged and 162 have been abandoned. A further 550 have been captured according to Oryx data.

According to Kyiv, Russia has also lost over 300,000 personnel in its fight against Ukraine, although regularly updated figures given by Ukraine's Western allies tend to put this number lower.

The figures come as Russia continues its bombardment of Ukrainian towns and villages, with 118 hit on October 31. Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said, as per the BBC, that 10 Ukrainian regions have been attacked, many of which were near the front lines in the east and south of the country.

Much of the onslaught has been directed at the strategically significant Dontesk town of Avdiivka. According to the BBC, local leader Vitaliy Barabash said: "[Avdiivka] is being erased, shattered. There have been more than 40 massive shelling attacks against the territorial community in the past day."

Newsweek has contacted the British Ministry of Defence for comment via email.

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