In wartime Russia, schools prepare the next generation of fighters
BELGOROD, Russia — Since Russia invaded Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin and his government have been waging a parallel struggle to capture the minds of Russia's next generation and raise loyal fighters for the future wars that he believes he needs to restore Russia's imperial greatness.
For 14-year-old Yegor, that struggle has already been won.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Estonian PM on Russian losses: Human life has no value for Putin
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal has commented on the data from the Ukrainian General Staff indicating that Russia's losses in the war have exceeded one million troops killed and wounded. Source: Michal on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda Quote: "Human life has no value for Putin. Russia's casualties since 24 February 2022 have exceeded one million. Putin has rejected any meaningful peace efforts and is only pretending to negotiate." Details: Michal stressed that pressure on Russia must be maintained, as it is "the only way for just and lasting peace". Background: In its latest update on the situation in Ukraine, UK intelligence stated that since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has lost around one million troops killed or wounded. Previously, UK intelligence estimated that Russia could suffer record losses in the war against Ukraine in 2025. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Vladimir Putin has incurred one million casualties in his pointless war
In October 2022, we warned that Russian President Vladmir Putin was willing to exchange more than 300,000 Russian coffins for a modern-day empire in Ukraine. Tragically, we were not wrong. If anything, we underestimated Putin's preparedness to kill and maim as many Russian, Chechen, North Korean, Cuban and Chinese soldiers and conscripts as needed to achieve his Peter the Great-like realm. Today, Russian casualties in Ukraine surpassed one million, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. No matter how willing Putin is, his meat grinder tactics are not militarily sustainable. In April, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, dual hatted as Commander, United States European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, testified before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee that the Russian military can likely only sustain its current operations for about 12 to 24 more months. At the current rate of daily casualties for the Russian and their allies — about 1,200 a day — that translates to another 438,000 to 876,000 Russian casualties. The Kremlin continues to feed the Ukrainian meat-grinder with little regard for its soldiers. As Cavoli would go on and say, 'Russian commanders still emphasize quantity and mass over skill and operational acumen.' Ukrainian defenders have become quite efficient in killing and wounding Russian soldiers — or those dressed for the part — but they come back the next day, along the same avenues of approach, with the same result, gaining just a few meters of territory in exchange for appalling numbers of dead and wounded. Despite President President Trump saying, 'It's time to stop this madness, it's time to halt the killing, it's time to end this senseless war,' Putin continues to attack along the frontlines and with daily bombardments of Ukrainian cities with drones, ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles. Meanwhile, Ukraine continues its valiant defense. Putin does not see eye-to-eye with Trump because he does not want to stop the carnage. As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Martha Raddatz of ABC News, 'I feel strongly that Putin does not want to finish this war. Inside his mind, it's impossible to end this war without total defeat of Ukraine.' Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made that clear in April when he said, 'Russia will accept nothing less than total victory over Ukraine.' There are multiple fights being waged in Ukraine concurrently — deep, close, rear, and interdiction. For now, though, the most important fight is for control of the skies above Ukraine. Ukraine is capable of maintaining its current positions in the close fight; however, success depends on prevailing in interdiction and deep-strike efforts. Concurrently, Ukraine is insufficiently armed to effectively defeat the continuous drone and missile assaults targeting their urban areas. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the recent attacks on Ukrainian cities as the 'most serious war crimes' and 'terror against civilians.' Moscow, he said, is escalating the situation and attempting 'to create a bloodbath' instead of negotiating with Ukraine. As Zelensky notes, 'Without the help of the United States, we will have more losses.' The Trump administration, however, has chosen to punt the problem to Europe in order to focus on their 'priority theater.' In his testimony before the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said, 'As we shift our focus to the Pacific, we are counting on our NATO allies to devote more resources to defense to forge a strong shield of deterrence in Europe.' At the most inopportune time of the war, as Russia launches hundreds of drones a day at Ukrainian cities — killing and wounding civilians and first responders with no legitimate military targets in sight — Hegseth announced that the U.S. will reduce funding allocated for military assistance to Ukraine in its upcoming defense budget. This was preceded by the White House announcement last week that they were redirecting key anti-drone technology — 20,000 missiles earmarked earlier for Ukraine — to U.S. Air Force units in the Middle East. Then Israel stepped in to relieve some of the pressure against the ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missile threat. As Zelensky continues to await a response from the White House concerning his request to purchase ten Patriot Air Defense Systems in April, Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Mykhailo Brodsky announced the transfer of an undetermined number of Patriot systems to Ukraine that were provided to them by the U.S. in the early 1990s. Ukraine reportedly had eight Patriot systems prior to this announcement. This in addition to the ten German air defense missile systems that were sent to Ukraine in May. Following their lead, the United Kingdom approved a deal on Wednesday to secure $2.2 billion in funding for additional air defense and multipurpose missile systems. But defeating the individual missile does not defeat the threat. That requires destroying the weapons systems, and Ukraine is doing just that with its own weapons. Operation 'Spiderweb' on June 2 reportedly destroyed 34 percent of the Russian strategic bomber fleet that is being used to launch cruise missile attacks against Ukrainian cities. Follow-on deep strikes over the weekend against the Kristall oil depot, Engels-2 and Dyagilevo air bases, Savasleyka airfield , Azot chemical plant, Kazan gunpowder plant, and VNIIR-Progress facility targeted the weapon systems, their support networks, munitions production, and funding sources for Russia's terror campaign. Heightened sanctions against Russia will not prevent further carnage — they may actually accelerate it. Sanctions are part of the solution, but they must be parlayed with other instruments of national power to have any effect. The piecemealing of air defense systems in Ukraine will only provide limited results. To control its skies, Ukraine needs a sustained, integrated and layered air defense network, including a No-Fly zone, similar to the one Israel employed to defeat two Iranian missile attacks in April and October of 2024. Merz's message is clear: 'Russia only understands force — so the West must show it.' Eventually, NATO weapons systems, manned by NATO Soldiers, will be needed to provide Ukrainian civilians with security. For now, Putin's killing fields are in Ukraine. If he is left unchecked by Washington, London and Brussels, they might soon find themselves ordering coffins for NATO defenders, beginning with the Baltic States or Poland. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Sweet served 30 years as an Army intelligence officer. Mark Toth writes on national security and foreign policy.
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
Russia says it's winning. The data says otherwise.
Russia has paid an extraordinary price in blood and equipment for marginal gains in Ukraine. Last week, Ukraine carried out one of its most ambitious operations of the war using more than 100 drones to damage dozens of military aircraft at multiple air bases deep inside Russia. The attack, which was planned over many months and launched from within Russia, showed how Kyiv can use limited tools to achieve significant effects. Russia, by contrast, has spent the past 17 months attempting to grind forward in Ukraine with brute force — and according to new data, it has little to show for its efforts. Map of January 2024 JANUARY 2024 BELARUS RUSSIA Kyiv Kharkiv UKRAINE Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine in January 2024 MOLDOVA Odesa ROMANIA CRIMEA Black Sea Illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies JAN 2024 RUSSIA UKRAINE Kyiv Kharkiv Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine in January 2024 CRIMEA Black Sea Illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies JAN 2024 RUSSIA UKRAINE Kyiv Kharkiv Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine in January 2024 Odesa CRIMEA Black Sea Illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies JANUARY 2024 BELARUS RUSSIA Kyiv Kharkiv UKRAINE Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine in January 2024 MOLDOVA Odesa ROMANIA CRIMEA Black Sea Illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies Map of May 2025 MAY 2025 RUSSIA UKRAINE Kyiv Kharkiv Russia seized 1,800 square miles between January 2024 and May 2025 CRIMEA Black Sea Illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies MAY 2025 RUSSIA UKRAINE Kyiv Kharkiv Russia seized 1,800 square miles between January 2024 and May 2025 Odesa CRIMEA Black Sea Illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies MAY 2025 BELARUS RUSSIA Kyiv Kharkiv UKRAINE Russia seized 1,800 square miles between January 2024 and May 2025 MOLDOVA Odesa ROMANIA CRIMEA Black Sea Illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies MAY 2025 BELARUS RUSSIA Kyiv Kharkiv UKRAINE Russia seized 1,800 square miles between January 2024 and May 2025 MOLDOVA Odesa ROMANIA CRIMEA Black Sea Illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies The map shows Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine in January 2024. Since then, Russian forces have seized less than 1 percent of Ukrainian territory — an area smaller than the state of Delaware. Russian forces have advanced an average of only approximately 50 meters per day in their offensive around Kupyansk. And approximately 135 meters per day in parts of Donetsk Oblast, where Russia has made its largest gains since January 2024. These efforts have yielded fewer than 1,800 square miles of new territory seized since January 2024, an outcome that decisively falls short of Moscow's objective to greatly expand its control of Ukrainian territory. Russian advances in some areas have been slower than Allied forces during the grueling World War I offensive in the Somme, a battle which became a byword for costly and futile military operations. For these marginal gains, Russia has paid an extraordinary price in blood and equipment. Russian fatalities in Ukraine now exceed the total number of Soviet and Russian soldiers killed in every war since World War II combined. By this summer, Russia will likely pass 1 million total military casualties. Graphic shows fatalities of Russian soldiers in past wars Russian and Ukrainian soldiers killed in the current war February '22 - May '25 Russia 200K-250K Ukraine 60K-100K Russian (and Soviet) soldiers killed in wars since World War II Chechnya (1st and 2nd Wars) 12K - 25K Afghanistan 14-16K Ukraine (Crimea and Donbas) 6K-7K Hungary 669 Syria 264 Korea 120 Czechoslovakia 96 Georgia 64 Sino-Soviet Border Conflict 58 Ethiopia 34 Algeria 25 United Arab Republic (Egypt) 21 Vietnam 16 Angola 7 Mozambique 6 Yemen Republic 1 Source: Author's analysis from various sources Russian and Ukrainian soldiers killed in the current war 200K -250K Russia February '22 - May '25 Ukraine 60K-100K February '22 - May '25 Russian (and Soviet) soldiers killed in wars since World War II Chechnya (1st and 2nd Wars) 12K - 25K Afghanistan 14-16K Ukraine (Crimea and Donbas) 6K-7K Hungary 669 Syria 264 Korea 120 Czechoslovakia 96 Georgia 64 Sino-Soviet Border Conflict 58 Ethiopia 34 Algeria 25 United Arab Republic (Egypt) 21 Vietnam 16 Angola 7 Mozambique 6 Yemen Republic 1 Source: Author's analysis from various sources Russian and Ukrainian soldiers killed in the current war 200K -250K Russia February 24, 2022–May 1, 2025 Ukraine 60K-100K February 24, 2022–May 1, 2025 Russian (and Soviet) soldiers killed in wars since World War II Chechnya (First and Second Wars) 12K - 25K 1994–1996, 1999–2009 Afghanistan 14-16K 1979–1989 Ukraine (Crimea and Donbas) 6K-7K 2014–February 23, 2022 Hungary 669 1956 Syria 264 2015–Present Korea 120 1950–1953 Czechoslovakia 96 1968 Georgia 64 2008 Sino-Soviet Border Conflict 58 1969 Ethiopia 34 1977–1990 Algeria 25 1962-1964 United Arab Republic (Egypt) 21 1962-1963, 1969-1972, 1973-1974 Vietnam 16 1965-1974 Angola 7 1975–1979 Mozambique 6 1967, 1969, 1975–1979 Yemen Republic 1 1962-1963 Source : Author's analysis from various sources Russia has also consistently lost 2 to 5 times more fighting vehicles than Ukraine on the battlefield, including roughly 1,200 armored fighting vehicles, 3,200 infantry fighting vehicles and 1,900 tanks since January 2024. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement This brutal reality challenges the narrative that Russia is dictating the terms of the conflict. Yes, Russian forces have been on the offensive since early 2024 (with a limited number of exceptions). But initiative alone is not victory. What matters is not just what Russia has gained, but also what it has lost in exchange. Russian troops continue to face an extensively fortified front line consisting of minefields, trenches, anti-armor obstacles and artillery positions that shred assaults. Ukraine has also saturated the battlefield with drones, which now account for the majority of battlefield deaths. Ukraine's defense-in-depth strategy, bolstered by U.S. and European support, has transformed the battlefield into a war of attrition that favors defenders and punishes attackers. Although the Kremlin appears willing to absorb this punishment in a bid to outlast Kyiv, it does not seem to be able to do more than slowly attempt to grind forward. Indeed, the Kremlin's path to victory is not through battlefield brilliance. It is through Western abandonment. Without U.S. support, Ukraine could quickly run short of critical munitions, fighting vehicles, air defenses and precision strike capabilities, giving Russian forces an advantage on the battlefield. The psychological blow of U.S. withdrawal could also shatter Ukrainian morale, accelerating collapse not through conquest, but through exhaustion, as happened to Austria-Hungary and the Russian Empire in World War I. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Putin is betting that political fatigue in Washington will deliver him what his military cannot. That bet extends to the negotiating table. Despite Russia's limited gains and mounting losses, Moscow has shown little interest in serious diplomacy, insisting on maximalist terms while launching new attacks. But beneath the bluster lies a far weaker hand than many in the West assume. A child walks past a destroyed Russian tank at Saint Michael's Square in Kyiv on May 14. (Roman Pilipey/AFP/Getty Images) The United States has leverage. But it needs to wield it. U.S. policymakers should evaluate options to extend and accelerate military assistance to Ukraine, particularly air defense systems to protect Ukrainian troops and civilians alike, long-range precision strike systems to target Russian airfields and command hubs, and munitions to repel Russian assaults across an extended front. The United States should also raise the economic costs of continued war on Moscow. Congress is currently considering bipartisan legislation to impose new sanctions on Russia and secondary sanctions on countries enabling Russia's wartime economy. One analysis suggests that secondary sanctions could cut Russian oil revenue by 20 percent while raising U.S. gas prices by just 15 cents a gallon. Russia is not on the march. It is bleeding personnel and equipment for mere meters of ground. And it will only translate into victory if Washington lets it. Graphics by Youyou Zhou, a graphics reporter at the Opinions desk of The Washington Post.
