"They’ve lost around 70,000 people in total just to try and hold onto a piece of the Kursk region, to have something to bargain with later." 

Chechen commander, Apti Alaudinov says Ukrainian forces have suffered massive losses attempting to hold symbolic ground near Kursk — not for victory, but for leverage in future negotiations.

He adds that Ukraine’s total irrecoverable losses have long surpassed 1 million, with another 70,000 killed in just the past 7 months in this sector alone.

“The numbers are astronomical.”