Putin admits Russian military losses
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged Russian military losses from its ongoing invasion of Ukraine during his annual meeting with the federal security service Tuesday.
"Unfortunately, comrade officers, we know that there are losses in our ranks," Putin said.
Putin called on the FSB to provide "support" to the families of soldiers who have died in the war.
"We will always remember their heroism and bravery," he added.
Putin did not say how many soldiers have died in the war and the Russian Ministry of Defense hasn't disclosed an exact number of losses since September 2022 when Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said just shy of 6,000 troops had died.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other State Department officials said Russia has likely suffered 200,000 injured or dead soldiers since the start of the war.
Putin also called on the FSB to make sure its border guard "undertake special efforts to control the Russian state border with Ukraine."
A "special group" is currently deployed at the Russia-Ukraine border, made up of border agencies, the FSB air arm, the Russian Armed Forces and the Russian National Guard, according to Putin.
"Your mission is to prevent any incursions by sabotage groups and stop any attempts to smuggle weapons and ammunition into Russia," Putin told the FSB board.
-ABC News' Tanya Stukalova and Anastasia Bagaeva