The total number of Russian soldiers who have been killed, injured or gone missing since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has reached over 1.2 million, according to a new report published on Wednesday.
The Washington-based think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), gathered its data from information from military personnel, intelligence agencies and various governments.
The report also predicted that the combined number of losses for both sides could reach 2 million by April if fighting continues at its current intensity.
How many soldiers died in the Ukraine war?
The CSIS report estimated 1.2 million Russian battle casualties, including 325,000 soldiers killed, and 500,000 – 600,000 Ukrainian casualties, including 100,000 – 140,000 soldiers killed.
“Despite claims of battlefield momentum in Ukraine, the data shows that Russia is paying an extraordinary price for minimal gains and is in decline as a major power,” the report said.
“No major power has suffered anywhere near these numbers of casualties or fatalities in any war since World War II,” it added.
Moscow has played down the report, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying on Wednesday it should not be considered credible as only the Russian Defense Ministry is authorized to publish figures on losses.
However, the report lines up with estimates made by the Ukrainian General Staff in Kyiv, which has put the figure of Russian casualties at around 1.23 million.
Battle losses in Ukraine likely to continue
Despite the high number of losses, Russia appears unwilling to end its war of attrition any time soon.
The report pointed out that the Russian advance has been slow, even with its much larger size. During the most prominent offenses, forces advanced on average 15 to 70 meters (about 50 to 230 feet) per day.
That is “slower than almost any major offensive campaign in any war in the last century,” the report said.
Putin said in his annual news conference in December that there are some 700,000 Russian troops in Ukraine. That’s the same number as he gave last year and slightly up from the 617,000 he said in 2023.
Edited by: Sean Sinico
