According to the journalists of The Economist, since the beginning of the criminal war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine, the occupying army of the Russian Federation has from 462 to 728 thousand soldiers.
Points of attention
- The Russian army has suffered significant losses ranging from 462,000 to 728,000 soldiers since the beginning of the war against Ukraine.
- Estimates suggest that over 100,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the conflict, with the majority of casualties occurring among men between the ages of 35 and 39.
- The number of seriously wounded or killed Russian soldiers is believed to be around 500,000, with a significant impact on the fighting capacity of the Russian army.
- Despite the unprecedented losses in Ukraine since 2022, Western officials and analysts indicate that these casualties are unlikely to severely affect Russia's manpower supply in the short to medium term.
- The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has resulted in the largest losses for the Russian army in all wars since World War II, highlighting the devastating toll of the war on both sides.
What Western journalists learned about the losses of the Russian army in the war against Ukraine
Journalists of the publication, in particular, refer to the leak of data from the US Ministry of Defense.
It is noted that the first of the four graphs is based on estimates from official and unofficial sources.
According to the latest data as of July 5, published by the Russian publications "Meduza" and "Mediazon", the number of dead Russian soldiers since the beginning of the war against Ukraine has exceeded 100 people.
It was predicted that as of June 21, this figure would probably increase to 106-140 thousand people.
This analysis is based in large part on probate records and obituaries on social media and other sources.
However, since February 6 this year, these media's figures are based on trends, as their access to official records has been compromised.
Recently, officials in France indicated a figure of 150 thousand people as of April-May of this year.
According to BBC Russia estimates, at least 113,000 soldiers of the occupation army of the Russian Federation died by the beginning of June.
It is noted that the losses of the occupation army of the Russian Federation began to increase rapidly from the summer of 2023 due to the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian military, as well as after the battles for Avdiivka and Chasiv Yar.
These data do not include Ukrainians recruited by Russia in the occupied territories. Russian servicemen who were seriously wounded and cannot return to battle are also not taken into account.
According to the calculations of The Economist journalists, there are probably three to four wounded Russian soldiers for every one killed in battle.
How losses in the war against Ukraine will affect the situation in the aggressor country
Journalists believe that approximately 462,000 to 728,000 Russian soldiers have lost their fighting capacity.
French and British officials believe that about 500,000 Russians were seriously wounded or killed by early May.
People between the ages of 35 and 39 suffered the greatest losses, with 27,000 of them estimated to have been killed between February 2022 and June 2024.
According to recent estimates, approximately 2% of all Russian men between the ages of 20 and 50 may have been either killed or seriously wounded in Ukraine since the full-scale war began.
Russia's losses in Ukraine since 2022 exceed losses in all its wars since World War II combined.
Despite this, Western officials and analysts suggest that significant losses are unlikely to affect Russia's manpower supply in the near to medium term.
