RUSSIAN forces have lost nearly 65,000 troops in the war, according to reports (Shutterstock).

Reinforcements for the battered Russian army are barely trained and many are fatalities after being rushed into combat against Ukrainian troops.

The Russian government has called up 300,000 reserves, some of which have little or no military training’ thousands of  men have fled the country to avoid conscription and service.

The New York Times and United Press International report that inexperienced draftees are being used in combat against a well-armed opponent because Russia has suffered almost 65,000 casualties in the eight-month long war.

At the same time, explosions in the Belgorod region of Russia injured at least 10 people. No responsibility has been claimed.

Fatburger the best burger?

IS FATBURGER the top fast food burger?

The Los Angeles Times has studied 25 hamburger chains in its “Fast Food Burger Power Rankings,” and the top choice is an eatery unfamiliar to most Orange County chowhounds.

Fatburger, is famous for its big patties. Second is Carl’s Jr., followed by Freddie’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers in third, McDonald’s (!) in fourth and In-N-Out is fifth.

Some familiar brands are Five Guys (eighth), Wendy’s (12th), The Habit (13th), Jack in the Box (15th) and Dairy Queen (16th).

In last place? Burger King.

Sports: Rams defeat the Panthers

MATTHEW STAFFORD (Rams photo).

The Los Angeles Rams snapped a two-game losing streak with a 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers Sunday at SoFi Stadium and squared their record at 2-2.

After trailing 10-7 at halftime, the Rams outscored the visitors 17-0 in the second half to pull away.

Matthew Stafford complete 26 of 33 passes for 253 yards and one score. He was intercepted once. Cooper Kupp caught seven passes for 80 yards. Allen Robinson caught five passes for 63 yards and one TD.

The Rams have a bye next week.

In college football,  the new AP Top 25 has Georgia at number one, and area teams moved a lot. UCLA moved from 11th to ninth, while rival USC fell from seventh to 12th. Tennessee, which upset third-ranked Alabama on Saturday, took the Crimson Tide’s place in third.

The top 10 is Georgia, Ohio State, Tennessee, Michigan, Clemson, Alabama, Mississippi, TCU, UCLA and Oregon.

Utah moved from 20th to 15th after edging USC on Saturday.

Weather: Heat is on the way

The thermometer is heading north soon in the West Orange County area. According to the National Weather Service, the daytime highs will climb from 77 on Monday to 86 on Wednesday. Tuesday’s high will jump to 84. The skies will be partly cloudy and overnight lows in the mid-60s. By Thursday, however, daytime temps will drop to the mid-70s.