Ukraine is struggling “to accommodate the almost constant stream of casualties” from the front line of its conflict with Russia, a CNN report on so-called ‘hospital trains’ operated by Kiev has claimed.
There are reportedly several specialized trains which CNN described on Thursday as being highly classified and at risk of being targeted by Russia.
The train’s onboard director featured in the report told the network that an ICU unit is part of the carriage layout and that “we can do almost everything here.” He later clarified that medics on board can only do minor operations to stop bleeding and can’t even call outside consultants.
The report also claimed that “there have recently been several strikes targeting the vicinity of railway stations and other infrastructure,” suggesting that Russian forces would target them. However, Ukraine also uses railways to transport weapons and reinforcements to the front line, deliveries which Russia has targeted on multiple occasions. Moscow insists that unlike Kiev, it never attacks non-military targets.
Earlier this week, the secretary of the Russian Security Council, Sergey Shoigu, cited Ukrainian military casualties as he accused Kiev of rejecting multiple opportunities to deflate the tensions and end the hostilities.
“There was a first wave of mobilization, second wave of mobilization… They have reduced the age limit for mobilization. This was not necessary,” he said in an interview.
“Every day they lose 28 square kilometers on average. Every day,” the official added. “But the most important thing is that they lose up to 2,000 people every day.”
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky claimed in February that his country had suffered around 31,000 battlefield fatalities.
The Russian Defense Ministry has estimated that the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Region, which Kiev launched last month, already cost its military over 12,000 casualties as of Wednesday.
Kiev introduced a new draft system this year to boost the rate at which it forcibly enlists citizens into military service.