Thread by @jseldin

BREAKING: 7,000-15,000 #Russia|n troops likely killed in #Ukraine, per a @NATO official briefing reporters on condition of anonymity

Total losses -including wounded, captured or missing- could be in the 30,000-40,000 range

Estimates based on #Ukraine intel, observations

"The estimate we have is based on what the #Ukrainians tell us, what the #Russia|ns let us know intentionally or by mistake" per the @NATO official

#Ukraine fighting #Russia almost to a stalemate, per a @NATO official

"I don't know if you can go as far [as to say] stalemate but its clear that after 1 months Russia has achieved almost none of their strategic objectives"

MORE: #Russia-"They are stalled in #Kyiv. They are stalled in #Kharkiv. They are stalled in #Chernihiv" per @NATO official

"They are achieving more results in the south but the price of it is absolutely horrendous...What they do is #WorldWarII, 70 year old techniques"

MORE: #Mariupol-"They [#Russia] are carpet-bombing the city" per the @NATO official

"To reach this extreme, you need to be cornered & you need to be pushed to break all moral human rules to go to such brutality..."

NEW: Fears #Russia, #Putin could turn to weapons of mass destruction, even target @NATO very real

"He is dangerous" per NATO official "Putin & his close circle, they are absolutely reckless ppl. They don't care abt human life"

#Putin "has a deep hatred of our society, our values" warns @NATO official "The alliance is absolutely at risk"

Official warns Putin could launch direct attack on alliance "due to miscalculation," something #Russia has done a lot in #Ukraine...

Also potential for mistakes...

NEW: @NATO preparing for 2 main types of potential chemical weapons attacks by #Russia in #Ukraine, per official - a #falseflag operation or a chemical attack delivered by military means

The #Falseflag op would be "an accident on a chemical plant" per the @NATO official

"There is a lot of ammonia...of nitrates in the #Ukraine bcs this is useful in the agriculture industry" per official "If you have a massive release of those agents, it is very dangerous"

If #Putin, #Russia use the 2nd option -a military delivered chemical weapon

"This is mostly the neurotoxic agents" per @NATO official "When you use them, they are so characteristic that the attribution is immediate"

The @NATO official says a possible chemical attack by #Russia in #Ukraine comes down to, "Is Russia going to want to stay below the threshold of attribution?"

#Russia's use of #hypersonic weapons in #Ukraine may be backfiring

"They're giving away a lot more than they're probably gaining" per a 2nd @NATO official "When you use a weapon on something is not designed for, both sides can learn from that and we are"