“We are talking about 50,000 Russian losses per month, this is the optimal level,” he said. Russia held just more than a quarter of Ukraine a month into its full-scale war, in March 2022, according to geolocated footage. The following month, Ukraine pushed Russian forces back from a string of northern cities – Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernihiv – leaving Russia in possession of one-fifth of the country. Beskrestnov is an expert on Russian drone and electronic warfare innovation. What’s the message to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin?