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U.S. intelligence agencies estimate that between 2,000 and 4,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the two-week long invasion of Ukraine — possibly more than the number of Americans killed in the 20-year war in Afghanistan. The estimate underscores the steep price Russia is already paying for a conflict that Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines called “a shock to the geopolitical order with implications for the future that we are only beginning to understand.” An estimated 2,448 American service members were killed during two decades of war in Afghanistan, according to the Associated Press. Russian President Vladimir Putin perceives the war he started in Ukraine as one “he cannot afford to lose,” Haines said, adding that intelligence analysts anticipate a protracted conflict with a “persistent and significant insurgency,” by Ukrainian forces.
“I think Putin is angry and frustrated right now,” CIA Director William Burns added. “He is likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties.” Haines said American intelligence agencies assess that “Moscow underestimated the strength of Ukraine’s resistance and the degree of military challenge,” but that Putin may feel compelled to fight on nonetheless, as the Russian military operates “with reckless disregard” for the safety of non-combatants. She said it was unclear if Russia will continue the “maximalist plan” to seize all of Ukraine, and that the economic crisis Russia is now experiencing because of international sanctions is “driving domestic political opposition to Putin.”
www.nbcnews.com
