Russia suffers troops loss horror and plunging economy but Putin won't give up

Russia loses troops and suffers plunging economy but Putin won't give up UK military chiefs say Putin entrenched in Ukraine war despite 1.5 million casualties, a plunging economy and yawning gaps in his labour force - and Ukraine faces a tough winter Russia has been pummelled with fresh Ukraine attacks on power plants and retail outlets as the British Ministry of Defence released a damning assessment of Putin’s war hopes. Blasts were reported across Russia as Ukraine targeted oil refineries and the country’s second biggest e-commerce outlet Ozon, as its campaign to hit the Kremlin's economy continues. Among the refineries hit were the Saratov plant, which has now been smashed 16 times, as well as a major Ozon warehouse in the same district of Saratov. It follows months of Ukraine’s targeting of Wildberries, dubbed the “Russian Amazon” in a bid to smash Russian President Vladimir Putin ’s ailing economy. Reports from inside Russia suggest hospitals are now crammed with injured troops as the military is taking places from sick civilians. And the British Ministry of Defence gave a devastating assessment of Russia’s war effort as Putin’s invasion increasingly looks like failing. As the Mirror revealed last week Russian casualties are now 1.5 million troops put out of the war through death and injury on the frontline. UK Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Richard Knighton underlined Russia’s loss of billions of pounds worth of military material during the war. But he added: “While all these military costs and statistics are noteworthy, the most shocking number is the 1.5 million fighting for Russia have become casualties on account of Putin’s invasion. “Among that number are half a million dead. “That means half a million photographs hanging on walls in devastated , darkened homes in Russia, half a million Russian families who will never see their father , son their brother or husband again. “And those 1.5 million casualties have been sustained in order to gain just two per cent of Ukrainian territory. “The numbers illustrate clearly the senseless and futile waste of human life for such little progress and the illegitimate aims of President Putin. “That said, the UK does not have any quarrel with the Russian people.” Gas and oil supplies have been severely hit by Kyiv’s daily attacks deep inside - the farthest one of 2,000 miles just this week and on the frontline, as Putin looks to recruit/ press-gang more soldiers for his failing war. Added to the pressure on Russia’s economy western assessments suggest Putin’s war last year took 50% of resources out of the country’s budget. This year it is looking like 40% but the pressure on Russia’s economy is enormous, with negative growth and soaring inflation. And Russia is so indeed of more employees, workers to operate its factories that it is believed North Korea is preparing to send women to take up the slack. One western official said: “The economic strain on Russia is becoming very acute. “And the west is maintaining its work on sanctions to try and bring Putin’s government to a more sensible position.” Russia’s ability to defend against Ukraine’s missile and drone attacks is also depleting as its stock of defence missiles is plummeting. One official said: “Russia is having to make some really serious prioritisation decision about where they employ those air defence assets.” But western officials stress that Putin is showing “no sign” of backing down in his attempts to keep pushing his senseless war against Ukraine. And they warned that he is intending to “freeze out” Ukrainian civilians into submission as Russian troops try to “normalise” the killing of civilians. A major concern for Ukraine is the increased use by Russia of jet-powered drones to attack Ukraine which are tough to defend against. In June Putin’s troops fired 350 of the high-powered drones at Ukraine’s civilians, in July the number had increased to 1,500 and in August the attacks soared to 2,800.