Nearly 1 million Russian troops killed or injured in meat grinder Ukraine war: study

New York Post

2 days ago

Russia's invasion force is expected to suffer more than 1 million casualties by the summer as a result of the Ukraine war, with around 250,000 troops already confirmed dead, according to a new study.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank, found that despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's boasts that he is winning the war, 'Russia has largely failed to achieve its primary objectives and has suffered high costs.'
'Russia will likely hit the 1 million casualty mark in the summer of 2025 — a stunning and grizzly milestone,' the CSIS concluded in their Tuesday report.
4 The Russian military is expected to suffer 1 million casualties by the summer.
Sputnik via AP
4 Ukraine has been able to slow Russia's invasion force to a near halt across the frontlines, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
REUTERS
The invasion of Ukraine has effectively served as a meat grinder for Russia's forces over the last three years, with the cost of life showing 'Putin's blatant disregard for his soldiers,' the analysts said.
The death toll alone currently stands as five times as many deaths as all Soviet and Russian wars combined since World War II.
The fighting has also taken its toll on Ukraine, with about 60,000 to 100,000 soldiers believed to have been killed since the Russian invasion started in February 2022, according to the CSIS.
Ukraine's population, however, is about one-fourth of Russia's — meaning those casualties have also been devastating.
Not only has the war claimed more Russian soldiers, but Moscow has also suffered around five times more losses in terms of military equipment losses, the study found.
4 Ukraine is estimated to have lost 60,000 to 100,000 soldiers since the war began.
AFP via Getty Images
Since January 2024, the CSIS confirmed that Moscow has lost 1,150 armored fighting vehicles, 3,100 infantry fighting vehicles, 300 self-propelled artillery and 1,900 tanks.
'Russia has lost substantial quantities of equipment across the land, air, and sea domains, highlighting the sharp matériel toll of its attrition campaign,' the analysts wrote.
Russia's losses have been further amplified by how the war has slowed to a grind, with Moscow's soldiers making only 'marginal gains' along the frontlines since the start of 2024, according to the CSIS.
4 Ukraine has been able to utilize is arms well enough to keep their casualties and equipment losses at a fraction of what Moscow is losing.
REUTERS
While Moscow is estimated to be occupying 20% of Ukraine, its troops have found trouble advancing further in the face of Kyiv's defenses.
In most areas along the frontlines, analysts found that Moscow is only advancing a few hundred feet per day, a rate that is 'remarkably slow' compared to the first year of the invasion.
While Russia and Ukraine do not publicly announce their losses, the CSIS's estimates fall in line with the figures produced by other experts in the US and UK.
The report comes after Moscow suffered its latest high-level loss over the weekend during Ukraine's Operation Spider Web' attack on Russian air bases.
The attack saw Kyiv deploy 117 drones to attack five Russian military bases, striking 41 Russian warplanes and causing an eye-watering $7 billion in damage, Ukrainian officials said.