Bottom Line:

• Russia continues to make very limited and costly progress in eastern Ukraine. However, Ukrainian forces have proven
  capable of holding ground and inflicting heavy casualties on the invaders. Ukraine has also launched a limited counter-offensive in the vicinity of occupied Kherson in the country’s south.
• Military aid from the United States (U.S.) and Europe has been critical to evening the odds, especially advanced missile and
  artillery systems that allow Ukraine to strike Russian units deep behind the front lines.
• The U.S. believes that over 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed fighting in Ukraine since February. Other estimates
  range as high as 35,000.
• Moscow is increasingly desperate for new troops to replace its battlefield losses. The Kremlin is reportedly taking steps to
  annex parts of Russian-occupied southern and eastern Ukraine, but growing Ukrainian resistance is hampering Russia’s
  ability to consolidate control. Increasingly, U.S. aid is critical to help Ukrainians drive back Putin’s forces.