Iran Press/ Europe: It was not immediately clear whether these numbers were genuine or how they ended up being published on a Kremlin-friendly tabloid.

Before the figures were removed, the tabloid cited the Russian Ministry of Defence as its source. The report said that 9861 Russian troops had died and 16,153 had been injured since Putin launched the unprovoked invasion in late February.

These numbers are far higher than what had been reported by the Russian government, and it was unclear if they were accurate.

Previously, Russian authorities have acknowledged only 498 troop deaths. A recent US intelligence estimate placed the Russian death toll in Ukraine at roughly 7000.

For perspective, 2461 US soldiers were killed in America's 20-year war in Afghanistan. Putin's war in Ukraine is roughly a month old.

The reported death toll was hastily deleted from the site, but some journalists took screenshots of the staggering numbers. The original version of the article was also archived.

There have been reports of Russia secretly transporting dead and wounded troops out of Ukraine and into Belarus to keep the true death toll hidden.

Nonetheless, the Russian military appears to have been met with stiffer resistance than expected in Ukraine.

On Sunday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told American TV that Russia's military assault had "essentially stalled." He described Putin's strategy in Ukraine as "moving his forces into a wood chipper."

Russia's assault on Ukraine has killed thousands and driven almost a quarter of Ukraine's 44 million people from their homes.

Germany predicted the refugee number could reach as high as 10 million in the coming weeks.