VLADIMIR Putin's Russia has reached a grim milestone after losing more than 500,000 soldiers in their failing war, claims Ukraine.
Kyiv also said Moscow's crumbling army has also lost some 22,000 tanks and armoured vehicles and nearly 700 aircraft since the invasion.
The death of Putin's soldiers have faced a grisly uptake since their savage Kharkiv offensive started earlier this month.
With his assault stalling, it has been reported up to 1,100 troops are dying every day in the fighting focused around the north-eastern border between Ukraine and Russia.
The latest figure from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine claims Putin has now lost some 500,080 troops.
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And this would mean Russia has seen 609 troops per day blasted since Vlad invaded more than 800 days ago on February 24, 2022.
His men have become cannon fodder being filed into the meat grinder - but the sheer weight of numbers is putting pressure on Ukraine.
Kyiv continues to call for more arms as they desperately try to hold the line against the Russian advance.
Many of the piles of lifeless bodies are being found after fierce battles in the border towns of Vovchansk, Lyptsi, Pokrovsk and Kupyansk.
A military source said: "Russian forces are bogged down in street fighting in Vovchansk and are being forced into redeploying their reserves from other operational directions to this area.
"Enemy troops are continuing their assault on wooded areas north of Kupyansk and are trying to breach Ukrainian defences near Kslivka."
Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky added: "The enemy has got completely bogged down in street battles and suffered very high losses in assault units".
President Volodymyr Zelensky's men have also claimed to have destroyed 7,650 Russian tanks and 14,786 armoured combat vehicles since the start of the invasion in 2022.
An additional 10,400 drones have been struck down with the aerial domination of Putin continuing with impressive claims of 326 helicopters and 350 planes all being downed.
Even outside of the battlefield, Ukraine's great success is clear to see with them reporting 27 ships and boats and one submarine have all been successfully targeted and sunk.
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The latest figures also don't account for the humiliating “tens of thousands” of soldiers who have deserted Putin's armed forces, it is believed.
Last month, British intelligence published their own Russian war losses stating that just 450,000 soldiers had been killed.
The huge increase since then is thought to be due to the Russian advance into Kharkiv that saw thousands of Moscow's troops storm the border on May 10.
Despite making their biggest territorial gains in 18 months the Russian death toll has risen sharply as the Ukrainian defence continues to strengthen.
President Zelensky said: "The Ukrainian defence forces have stopped Russian troops in the Kharkiv sector.
"The situation is under control, counter-offensive actions are under way."
The World Health Organisation says 14,000 people have so far been evacuated from Kharkiv amid the daily bombardment of Russian rockets.
Ukraine's numbers do differ from what UK intelligence found last month with the number of drones lost at over 10,000 more.
Since Russia launched its failed invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and vowed to seize the country in a matter of days.
But more than two years later the fighting is continuing amid small gains and devastating losses for sabre-rattling Putin.
With Putin now reportedly ready to offer Ukraine a ceasefire opportunity but only if Kyiv gives up all the territory stolen by Russia.
The despot is considering a pause in the fighting that recognises the current battlefield lines, sources close to his inner circle claim.
One said: "Putin can fight for as long as it takes, but Putin is also ready for a ceasefire to freeze the war."
Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov has previously admitted his boss is open to a dialogue with Ukraine and the West to achieve its goals.
Saying Russia wasn't looking for an eternal war.
But the recent appointment of Andrei Belousov as Russia's defence minister was seen by some experts as placing Russia on a permanent war footing in order to prolong conflict through their economy.
Europe's biggest ground conflict since World War Two has cost tens of thousands of lives on both sides and led to sweeping Western sanctions on Russia's economy.
Putin understood any dramatic new advances would require another nationwide mobilisation, which he didn't want, the sources said.
The prospect of a ceasefire, or even peace talks, currently seems remote.
Zelensky has repeatedly said peace on Putin's terms is a non-starter.
He has vowed to retake lost territory, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. He signed a decree in 2022 that formally declared any talks with Putin "impossible."
One of the sources predicted no agreement could happen while Zelensky was in power, unless Russia bypassed him and struck a deal with Washington.
But, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters he did not believe Putin was interested in serious negotiations.
Ukraine is preparing for talks hosted by Switzerland next month aimed at unifying international opinion on how to end the war.
Despite the talks of peace, Putin has continued to wreck havoc in Europe with his latest targets being the Baltic nations.
A ruthless Vlad is said to be looking to expand Russia's sea borders in a chilling mission to seize an island that can be used as a nuclear launch pad, say ex-Generals.
The Kremlin's latest brazen power move is set to push Nato allies to their limits as Russia looks to taunt the West with military experts warning The Sun it could "trigger WW3".
Europe is on edge after Putin’s defence ministry announced a shock bid to change Russian maritime borders with Finland and Lithuania on Wednesday.
Russia is said to be trying to redraw their territorial waters to steal areas in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland and near the cities of Baltiysk and Zelenodradsk in the Kaliningrad region.
But, experts are most concerned over Putin's plans to take over Gotland - an island that sits just off the coast of Sweden .
It is thought to be the next area on Putin's hitlist if he gets his way and is regarded as one of the most important areas in the Baltic Sea.
