Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, acknowledged in an interview published Thursday that Russia had suffered “significant losses in troops”, calling it a “huge tragedy”.
The comments made to Sky News are a rare acknowledgment from Moscow for the difficulties Russia has faced in its invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has not provided many updates on the casualties of its troops; earlier figures reported by Moscow were significantly lower than estimates by Ukraine and NATO.
The interview comes as Russian forces have left Ukraine’s Chernihiv and Kiev regions, unable to quickly capture Ukraine’s capital as initially hoped.
Peskov claimed that Russia acted out of “goodwill” by withdrawing from both areas, telling Sky News: “It was an act of goodwill to release tension from those regions and show that Russia is really ready.” to create comfortable conditions to continue negotiations.”
However, US officials have expressed skepticism about Moscow’s withdrawal of its troops in those areas, with Pentagon press secretary John Kirby saying last week: “We believe this is a repositioning, not a real withdrawal.”
Peskov also denied allegations of Russian atrocities in Bucha, Ukraine, where photos and videos shared by Ukrainian officials have shown bodies lying in the street with their hands tied behind their backs. He told Sky News that the situation in the Ukrainian city is a “well-staged insinuation, nothing else”.
“We deny that the Russian military has anything in common with these atrocities and that corpses have been displayed on the streets of Bucha,” Peskov said.
Peskov also claimed that Russia had “very serious reasons to believe” that the bombing of a maternity hospital in Mariupol was “fake”.
The Kremlin spokesman continued to refer to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as an “operation” rather than a war. The attack on Ukraine has led to more than four million people fleeing the country, according to data from the United Nations Refugee Agency, and has killed or injured thousands of civilians.
For the latest news, weather, sports and streaming video, head to The Hill.
