Kiev loses nearly 41,000 soldiers, mercenaries in combat over month — expert

TASS · 🇷🇺 public Russia · May 04, 2026 · 162 words

Military Attrition Russian Military Success

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Generate a natural audio summary of this story

Daily briefing

What to know about Military Attrition

The article reports claims made by military expert Andrey Marochko regarding Ukrainian military losses in April. Marochko cites figures for personnel casualties and destroyed equipment based on data from the Russian Defense Ministry.

Propaganda risk 40%

Claims checked 11

Techniques found 3

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The Ukrainian armed forces’ losses in killed and wounded in April amounted to almost 41,000, which is almost twice the April 2025 figure, according to military expert Andrey Marochko.

Why it matters

"The enemy’s medical and irreparable losses in manpower in April amounted to more than 40,775 Ukrainian fighters and mercenaries – 5,510 more than in the previous period (March -TASS).

Common ground

This clearly shows that we have increased last year’s spring indicators.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Authority, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Military Attrition story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Russian troops destroyed... 9,100 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)?
How does this story connect Military Attrition with Russian Military Success over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://tass.com/defense/2126201

analyticsAnalysis

40%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 90%

Moderate concerns. Notable use of persuasive or loaded language.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Authority 70% confidence

Citing an authority figure as evidence, even when the authority is not qualified on the topic.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to authority helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 60% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 8

help Insufficient Evidence 2

schedule Pending 1

info

Claim 1: “Russian troops destroyed... 9,100 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)”

SINGLE SOURCE

While there are reports of Russian forces destroying UAVs (100, 6, and 186), none of the provided evidence supports the specific figure of 9,100 UAVs destroyed in April.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — OREANDA-NEWS The air defense forces destroyed 100 Ukrainian drones over the regions of Russia and the Sea of Azov from 08.00 to 17.00 Moscow time, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
https://www.oreanda-news.com/en/gosudarstvo/russian-air-defe…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — MSK air defense systems destroyed six unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) over the regions of Russia. This was announced on April 8 by the Ministry of Defense of the Russ…
https://en.iz.ru/en/2075087/2026-04-08/air-defense-forces-de…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Russian air defence forces intercepted and destroyed 186 Ukrainian UAVs overnight, the Russian Defence Ministry reported. 28.04.2026, Sputnik India.
https://sputniknews.in/20260428/russian-air-defence-forces-d…

info

Claim 2: “Russian troops destroyed... five anti-aircraft missile systems”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence mentions Russia losing five air defense systems, but does not provide evidence that Russian troops destroyed five Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile systems in April.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Fire on at infrastructure facility in Kyiv Oblast On 15 November Russian Forces launched 100 missiles and drones targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure. President Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian anti…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_strikes_against_Ukrain…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Russian Aerospace Forces helicopters in a field during the invasion, March 2022 During the Russo-Ukrainian war, aerial warfare took place as early as the dawn of 24 February 2022, [1] with Russian inf…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_warfare_in_the_Russo-Uk…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Russia lost two Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and gun systems and one OSA air defense system, as well as two S-300 air defense systems, according to Ukraine's military and a war reporter.
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-loses-five-air-defense-syste…

info

Claim 3: “the enemy’s medical and irreparable losses in manpower in April amounted to more than 40,775 Ukrainian fighters and mercenaries”

SINGLE SOURCE

This claim is a variation of the figure provided by Andrey Marochko (as seen in the evidence for claim 0 and 7). No independent corroboration from other news organizations is present in the provided evidence.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Information on military casualties is a state secret in both Russia and Ukraine, while the Ukrainian government has been especially secretive, restricting access to demographic data that could be used…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Russo-Ukrain…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Military casualties (see footnotes for detailed source estimates). 1,000,000 Russian military casualties (killed and wounded), according to a late February 2026 estimate that a highly-informed former …
https://www.russiamatters.org/news/russia-ukraine-war-report…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Leaked military files have confirmed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost more than 1.7 million troops, including both those killed and missing, since the outbreak.
https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukraine-lost-milli…

info

Claim 4: “Russian troops destroyed... 18 multiple rocket launchers”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided web search results for this claim are irrelevant, discussing the Russian language.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Education in Russian is still a popular choice for both Russian as a second language (RSL) and native speakers in Russia, and in many former Soviet republics. Russian is still seen as an important lan…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_language

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Learn Russian online with our free Russian language lessons. Includes Russian audio, grammar, vocabulary, alphabet, verbs, pronunciation and exercises.
https://www.russianlessons.net/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Russian language, principal state and cultural language of Russia. Together with Ukrainian and Belarusian, the Russian language makes up the eastern branch of the Slavic family of languages.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Russian-language

help

Claim 5: “Russian troops destroyed... 230 electronic and counter-battery warfare stations”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this claim.

info

Claim 6: “Russian troops destroyed... 436 field artillery pieces and mortars”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence mentions general artillery activity and the Marochko report, but does not specifically corroborate the figure of 436 field artillery pieces and mortars destroyed in April.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a military engagement was fought for control over the town of Hostomel between the Russian and Ukrainian armed forces. As part of an offensive on Kyiv, the Russ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hostomel

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Ukrainian armed forces’ losses in killed and wounded in April amounted to almost 41,000, which is almost twice the April 2025 figure, according to military expert Andrey Marochko.
https://tass.com/defense/2126201

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — On April 25, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that calculations of 122 mm self-propelled artillery units (ACS) 2S1 "Gvozdika" of the Vostok group of forces destroyed camouflaged dugouts of the Ar…
https://en.iz.ru/en/2086321/2026-04-28/gunners-russian-armed…

info

Claim 7: “Russian troops destroyed 446 enemy armored vehicles, including tanks”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided web search results for this claim are irrelevant, discussing the Russian language rather than military losses.

travel_explore

info

Claim 8: “The Ukrainian armed forces’ losses in killed and wounded in April amounted to almost 41,000”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim is specifically attributed to military expert Andrey Marochko via TASS. No other independent sources corroborate this specific figure of 41,000 for April.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This timeline of the Russo-Ukrainian war covers the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 July 2024.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Russo-Ukrainia…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Russo-Ukrainian war began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia occupied Crimea and annexed it from Ukraine. It then supported Russian separatist armed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This timeline of the Russo-Ukrainian war covers the period from 24 February 2022, when Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine, to 7 April 2022, when fighting focused away from the north and to…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2022_Russian_i…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 9: “In April 2025, the figure was 27,075”

SINGLE SOURCE

The figure of 27,075 for April 2025 is mentioned in the TASS report as a comparison point provided by Andrey Marochko. No other sources confirm this specific historical figure.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Analysis on estimated Military Losses of the Russian and Ukrainian Armed Forces since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfj2c5racUY

schedule

Claim 10: “Russian troops destroyed... 545 ammunition, fuel, and materiel depots”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 11: “Russian troops destroyed... 2,000 special military vehicles”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found after searching for this claim.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.