The chilling reality facing frontline Ukrainian soldiers in their battle against Russia was laid bare after a bloody encounter saw just five out of nearly 50 military personnel survive a gruesome spar.
With the counteroffensive from Ukraine starting in June, Kyiv flexed its military muscles, unleashing brigades of soldiers trained by NATO instructors and armed with equipment from the West.
But within three months, Russian media claimed its rival’s push had failed – enduring huge losses, Kremlin tyrant Vladimir Putin said.
Among them was one unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces which was abandoned during a counteroffensive close to the village of Rabotino, Zaporozhye.
During one 24-hour period, the group saw 43 of its 48 soldiers butchered.
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Among the survivors was Ukrainian prisoner of war Ivan Matvienko, a soldier trained by NATO at one of its bases in Britain.
Speaking to Sputnik – a Russian state-owned news agency and radio broadcast service – Matvienko claimed he and others from the group had received just a month’s worth of training before they were thrown into battle.
He added: “We were sent to the attack on October 28 – two groups, there were only 40 of our company left by the time, maybe less.”
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Another observation made by Matvienko was that during three months of fighting between August and October, just 10 people from his company of 200 who were trained in Britain survived.
It comes as Hungary blocked a huge ยฃ43billion package from the European Union to Ukraine barely hours after a deal was thrashed out to fastrack Kyiv’s bid to become a member of the bloc.
Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister, said he vetoed the additional funding to Ukraine and said he would reassess the issue next year following “proper preparation”.
All other leaders of member states backed the plan, which backed Kyiv’s budget between 2024 and 2027.
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For deals to be pushed through, all EU members have to support a proposal.
Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, said: “We agreed with the 26 countries.
“Victor Orban, Hungary, were not yet able to do that. I am fairly confident we can get a deal early next year, we are thinking of late January.”
Putin discussed the death toll endured by Russia when he was speaking to Moscow’s media, claiming more than 300,000 troops had died since the war started in February 2022.
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