NATO secretary general addresses young Russians: You will die in mud in war against Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, during a visit to Ukraine, has spoken about rising Russian losses in the war and made a public address to Russian youth.

Rutte believes the course of the war has changed, that participation on the Russian side has become increasingly dangerous, and urged young Russians to take this into account.

"But as Ukraine continues to stand strong, to innovate and to make battlefield gains, Russia is increasingly desperate," the NATO chief said at a press conference in Kyiv.

He also cited NATO's estimate of Russian losses: "Russia's losses are substantial, over 30,000 per month. This means losing more men in one month than the Soviet Union did in 10 years in the 1980s in Afghanistan. Absolutely staggering numbers."

Rutte then said he would use his speech to directly address "young Russians and their families", stressing that Russian propaganda is misleading them.

"Men like you who join the fight, you won't be trained. The equipment they'll provide you is substandard. There is a very high chance you'll die or be wounded while you're out there. And the odds are that if you are wounded, you will be left to suffer in the mud and die. So when we talk about tens of thousands of Russian casualties, that's not abstract. That will probably be you," the NATO chief said.

Rutte arrived in Kyiv on 3 June together with members of the North Atlantic Council, representing all 32 NATO member states.

In May, Rutte said he had heard "many encouraging comments" from allies regarding support for Ukraine during a NATO ministerial meeting.

He also stated that he has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend the NATO leaders' summit in Ankara in July.