Kyiv military officials have reported that Russian troop casualties in Ukraine have exceeded 1 million killed or wounded since the start of the war in 2022, AP reported.
The US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published similar figures earlier this month, highlighting significant Russian losses in equipment as well.
Since January 2024, CSIS estimates Russia has lost approximately 1,149 armored fighting vehicles, 3,098 infantry fighting vehicles, 300 self-propelled artillery units, and 1,865 tanks.
Moscow’s Losses
Russian forces have suffered heavy casualties across multiple fronts, with particularly high numbers reported during major offensives last year.
According to US military analyst Michael Kofman, the heaviest casualties occurred between September and November 2024 while Russia advanced in eastern Ukraine.
“Tactics emphasized repeated attacks with dispersed assault groups, using small infantry fire teams, which increased overall casualties relative to terrain gained,” Kofman explained to the BBC.
The British broadcaster also reported that in August last year, around 1,226 Russian troops were killed as Ukrainian forces pushed into Russia’s Kursk region, located near the border with Ukraine.
In June 2024, during heavy clashes in the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine, a Russian soldier reported that his unit was nearly wiped out in the frontline town of Vovchansk, near the Russian border, with only 12 of 100 troops left after the first night of fighting.
Foreign Troops
Russia’s war in Ukraine has also involved direct support from North Korea, which has deployed troops to assist Russian operations, particularly in the Kursk region.
At least 300 North Korean soldiers have reportedly been killed, with thousands wounded.
The deployment follows a defense agreement signed last year between Moscow and Pyongyang.
