Ukraine military is claiming over 300 killed Russian elite troops in the Donetsk airport fighting due to SIGINT intercepts of the Russians.

Ukraine Says 300 Russian Regular Troops Killed In Fight For Donetsk Airport

14:40 (GMT)

Kyiv Post reports that according to Oleksandr Rozmaznin, the head of the Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel department, the Ukrainian military has intercepted communications from the Russian military which indicate that 299 Russian soldiers have been killed in the battle for Donetsk airport and nearly 200 others have been injured:

He said that southern units were involved in the clashes, in particular, the 16th special purpose brigade of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian General Staff [GRU - The Interpreter], the 200th special purpose brigade of the Southern Military District (Rostov), a motorized infantry battalion and a tank company of the 4th Kantemirovskaya separate guards tank brigade, a battalion of the 22th separate brigade of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian General Staff, and an assault company of the 106th guards airborne division.

The Ukrainian government has been saying for some time that Russian military units were directly involved in fighting at the airport. Censor.net.ua has released a picture of a leaked document which reportedly details Russian losses.

There are two general questions which need answering: are Russian troops involved in the fight for Donetsk airport, and if so are these numbers realistic?

US Secretary of State John Kerry made remarks today at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Switzerland that the US believes Russian troops are fighting and dying in Ukraine. Associated Press reports:

In his opening remarks, Kerry publicly cited "hundreds of Russian soldiers who fight and die" in Ukraine - alluding to what the U.S. says is proof of Moscow's direct involvement in the fighting. U.S. officials believe an estimated 400 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine this year.

We've certainly seen evidence of an intensifying attack on Donetsk Airport, with substantial use of artillery and rockets. These weapons take training to use, and perhaps a substantial amount of the weapons used against the airport were supplied by the Russian military, so if anything the claim that Russian troops are assaulting the airport may be the least controversial of the claims Rozmaznin is making here.

But were 300 soldiers really killed in this battle? No Ukrainian combat unit is more feared by the separatists or honored by the pro-Ukrainians as the "cyborgs" who are defending the airport. Keep in mind that video feeds and press reports almost exclusively view this battle from the point of view of the separatists because it's easier, and far less dangerous, to get to their front lines than Ukrainian military positions in Donetsk. We know that attacks on the airport are relentless and intense, and we also know that they've been unsuccessful for months.

On the other hand, reporters who have been to the airport have seen a resilient and elite group of fighters who have weathered this storm. It's reasonable to guess, then, that separatist and/or Russian casualties may be significantly higher than Ukrainian casualties in this battle. And Ukraine has suffered many dozens of casualties since the siege of the airport began in September.

In other words, that number may be on the high side, but it may not be an unreasonable estimation of total anti-Ukrainian loses. But Russian forces are supporting separatist units, and this claim is specific -- 300 Russian soldiers have been killed. That strikes us as high, though if one counts all the fighting in the greater-Donetsk area, that may be a more realistic number. At this point, however, there's just no way for us to corroborate such a claim.

The Russian government continues to deny that any Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine, despite efforts of NGOs and journalists who have documented the funerals for fallen soldiers.

One thing is clear -- so far the cyborgs are winning decisively, and the Russian-backed militants appear to know it, which is one likely reason why there is a surge in artillery and rocket barrages in northwest Donetsk.