Overview
- Rutte compared current Russian fatalities to the Soviet Union’s decade in Afghanistan, calling the pace unsustainable for Moscow.
- The UK Ministry of Defence recently estimated more than 1.1–1.2 million Russian battlefield losses since 2022 and about 1,000–1,100 casualties per day.
- An independent tally by BBC Russian and Mediazona has confirmed at least 152,142 Russian military deaths, including 19,590 in 2025 so far, though researchers say the true number is far higher.
- Ukrainian leaders reported exceptionally high Russian losses in December, with President Volodymyr Zelensky citing about 35,000 ‘eliminated’ and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reporting over 33,000.
- Analysts say the Kremlin is avoiding large-scale formal mobilization and leaning on informal recruiting, financial incentives, and reserve-law measures, with U.S. and Ukrainian estimates indicating Russia deploys roughly 30,000–36,000 new troops monthly.