According to the Ukrainian Department of Defense, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion into Ukraine is backfiring big time.

The Washington Examiner reports:

About 2,800 Russian soldiers have died in the first 36 hours of Russia’s bloody invasion, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine claims.

If true, Russia‘s losses in the first days following its invasion of Ukraine top the casualties U.S. soldiers faced during the 20-year military operation in Afghanistan. Ukraine also says it destroyed nearly 600 tanks and armored vehicles and over 17 warplanes and helicopters.

“This morning, we are defending our country alone. Just like yesterday, the most powerful country in the world looked on from a distance,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an apparent reference to the United States on Friday. “Russia was hit with sanctions yesterday, but these are not enough to get these foreign troops off our soil. Only through solidarity and determination can this be achieved.”

The U.S. Pentagon has not independently confirmed the casualty count in Ukraine, and warring nations have incentives to exaggerate the numbers.

According to NBC News:

Despite an overwhelming advantage in manpower and equipment, the Russian advance lost some of its momentum Friday and the quick victory Russian President Vladimir Putin was counting on is no longer assured, a senior United States defense official told NBC News.

“We do assess that there is greater resistance by the Ukrainians than the Russians expected,” the official said. “They are fighting for their country.”

While Russian forces are threatening the capital, Kyiv, and other major cities like Kharkiv and small-but-strategic cities like Rivne, none have have been taken so far and the Ukrainian air defenses remain largely intact, despite being targeted by relentless missile attacks, the official said.