CIA director estimates 15,000 Russians killed in Ukraine war

A local resident looks out through a broken window in his flat in a residential building damaged by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's invasion on Ukraine, in Kramatorsk, in Donetsk region, Ukraine July 19, 2022. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

ASPEN, Colorado (Reuters) -The United States estimates that Russian casualties in Ukraine so far have reached around 15,000 killed and perhaps 45,000 wounded, CIA Director William Burns said on Wednesday, adding that Ukraine has also endured significant casualties.

Nearly five months since President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Russia's neighbor, its forces are grinding through the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine and occupy around a fifth of the country.