Ukrainian forces reportedly killed 1,090 Russian soldiers Saturday in what is possibly the deadliest day since the conflict began with Moscow's invasion more than a year ago.
Kyiv's military made the claim Sunday in a video shared by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun also celebrated the destruction of four Russian artillery systems, seven armored fighting vehicles and eight enemy tanks.
The latest Russian fatality report surpasses Ukraine's record of 1,030 Russian soldiers killed in the overnight hours Feb. 7, according to the New York Post.
The Kyiv Independent reported that Ukrainian military spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi said Sunday that 239 Russian troops were killed on the front line near Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast.
The continuing battle for Bakhmut was "aggravated," Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar said Friday, as Moscow continues to hold its offensive despite casualties.
"Our soldiers are doing everything possible to prevent the enemy from realizing their plans," Maliar posted on Telegram.
First captured by Russia in May, the latest Kremlin assault on Bakhmut and the surrounding area began in mid-January. Satellite images shared by Maxar Technologies last week revealed a pile of rubble and clouds of ash where a flourishing city once stood.
As the campaign grinds on, the 2,600-foot stretch of open space between the Russian and Ukrainian lines has become known as the "killing zone."
The Institute for the Study of War's report Sunday disputed earlier reports of Russia's Wagner Group advancing on Saturday and concluded its forces did not make territorial gains in the area.
"[Russia] has converged on Bakhmut with a large part of its trained military personnel, the remnants of its professional army, as well as the private companies," Mykhailo Podolyak, aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, told Italy's La Stampa newspaper before news of Russia's heavy losses over the weekend broke.
"We, therefore, have two objectives: to reduce their capable personnel as much as possible, and to fix them in a few key wearisome battles, to disrupt their offensive and concentrate our resources elsewhere, for the spring counter-offensive."
Another Zelenskyy aide was more blunt and told the BBC that the Bakhmut combat zone presented "a unique opportunity to kill a lot of Russians."
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