At least half of the 30,000 elite paratroopers Russia deployed in Ukraine have been killed or wounded, UK intel says

• Half of Russia's elite paratroopers in Ukraine have been killed or wounded in battle, UK intel said.
• This comes after a top Russian general's admission of paratrooper casualties was deleted.

Half of Russia's elite paratroopers in Ukraine have been killed or wounded in battle, UK intelligence said on Sunday, after a top general's rare admission of casualties was mysteriously deleted.

In its latest daily intelligence update, the British Ministry of Defense said that at least 50 percent of the 30,000 Russian paratroopers deployed to Ukraine "have been killed or wounded" since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion more than 17 months ago.

The number was extrapolated from comments made by the commander of Russia's VDV Airborne Forces, Col. Gen. Mikhail Teplinsky, in a video message earlier this week, the update said.

In the video, which was originally published by Zvezda — a broadcaster run by the Russian Ministry of Defense — Teplinsky said at least 8,500 of his troops had been wounded fighting in Ukraine.

"More than 5,000 wounded paratroopers returned to the front after treatment, and more than 3,500 of our wounded refused to leave the front line," Teplinsky said. He did not reveal how many of his paratroopers had been killed in combat.

It is unclear how exactly the figures were calculated by the British intelligence service. A spokesperson did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Teplinsky video was eventually removed without explanation several hours later, likely at the request of the Kremlin's military leadership, Insider's Jake Epstein previously reported.

Neither Ukraine nor Russia provide official counts of their own losses in the war. However, there have been previous reports of Russian paratroopers suffering heavy casualties in Ukraine due to poorly designed vehicles and lack of adequate air-defense systems.

An independent analysis by the BBC Russian Service estimated that at least 1,840 members of Russia's airborne forces — including over 320 officers — had died in Ukraine as of late July. Insider was not able to immediately verify these figures.

Russia's airborne force is actually a separate military branch that serves as shock troops and a rapid-intervention force. It used to be highly regarded in the military.