Russian casualties since the start of the war in Ukraine have surpassed 600,000, a figure disproportionate to its gains, Pentagon officials have said.
Moscow’s losses have accelerated as they have continued to push forward in the eastern Donbas region, and their casualty rate is expected to rise further due to Moscow’s ‘meat grinder’ tactic of relentlessly outnumbering the enemy, U.S. defense officials have said.
“It’s kind of the Russian way of war in that they continue to throw mass into the problem, and I think we’ll continue to see high losses on the Ukrainian side,” an unnamed U.S. military official was quoted by The New York Times (NYT) as saying.
Total Russian casualties are estimated by the U.S. at around 615,000, of which 115,000 have been killed and 500,000 wounded, according to the NYT. Kyiv is tight-lipped about its losses, but U.S. estimates put Ukraine’s toll at around half that of Russia’s at approximately 57,000 deaths and 250,000 injuries.
September 2024 was Russia’s bloodiest month since the start of the war, with an average of 1,271 casualties per day, according to the U.K. defense ministry data. The ministry has also reported that September was the fifth consecutive month in which deaths and injuries topped 1,000 per day on average.
“Russian losses, again both killed and wounded in action, in just the first year of the war exceeded the total of all Soviet losses in any conflict since World War II combined,” Defense News quoted another U.S. official as saying.
Moscow’s losses have accelerated, particularly through attempts since the summer to take the strategic regional logistics hub of Pokrovsk.
“It’s kind of the Russian way of war in that they continue to throw mass into the problem, and I think we’ll continue to see high losses on the Ukrainian side,” an unnamed U.S. military official was quoted by The New York Times (NYT) as saying.
Total Russian casualties are estimated by the U.S. at around 615,000, of which 115,000 have been killed and 500,000 wounded, according to the NYT. Kyiv is tight-lipped about its losses, but U.S. estimates put Ukraine’s toll at around half that of Russia’s at approximately 57,000 deaths and 250,000 injuries.
September 2024 was Russia’s bloodiest month since the start of the war, with an average of 1,271 casualties per day, according to the U.K. defense ministry data. The ministry has also reported that September was the fifth consecutive month in which deaths and injuries topped 1,000 per day on average.
“Russian losses, again both killed and wounded in action, in just the first year of the war exceeded the total of all Soviet losses in any conflict since World War II combined,” Defense News quoted another U.S. official as saying.
Moscow’s losses have accelerated, particularly through attempts since the summer to take the strategic regional logistics hub of Pokrovsk.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 07 October 2024.
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Refilling the ranks
As the death toll mounts and a large-scale mobilization remains a politically unpopular solution to replenish personnel, Seoul has warned that North Korea may start sending troops to fight in Ukraine.
Radio Free Asia reported on Tuesday that the South Korean defense minister had made the claim.
“As Russia and North Korea have signed a mutual treaty akin to a military alliance, the possibility of such a deployment is highly likely,” Kim Yong-hyun told the country’s parliament.
A U.S. military source cited by Defense News would not comment on the reports.
However, Ukrainian media reported that six North Korean military officers had been killed in a Ukrainian missile attack near Donetsk on October 3.
'We assess that the occurrence of casualties among North Korean officers and soldiers in Ukraine is highly likely, considering various circumstances,' Yong-hyun said.
Ukrinform reports, citing the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, that total Russian combat losses in Ukraine amounted to 666,340 on October 11. The news service also claims that Russia has lost 17,800 armored combat vehicles, over 19,000 artillery systems, 369 planes and 329 helicopters.
Defense News said Moscow’s forces had lost two-thirds of their pre-war stock of tanks, forcing the Kremlin to fall back on Soviet-era hardware for repairs.
A U.S. military source cited by Defense News would not comment on the reports.
However, Ukrainian media reported that six North Korean military officers had been killed in a Ukrainian missile attack near Donetsk on October 3.
'We assess that the occurrence of casualties among North Korean officers and soldiers in Ukraine is highly likely, considering various circumstances,' Yong-hyun said.
Ukrinform reports, citing the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, that total Russian combat losses in Ukraine amounted to 666,340 on October 11. The news service also claims that Russia has lost 17,800 armored combat vehicles, over 19,000 artillery systems, 369 planes and 329 helicopters.
Defense News said Moscow’s forces had lost two-thirds of their pre-war stock of tanks, forcing the Kremlin to fall back on Soviet-era hardware for repairs.
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