Russian Troop Losses Estimated to Be Over 160,000 Since Invasion Began
Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, Russia has lost over 165,000 troops, according to a report by two independent Russian media outlets. The report, released on February 24, estimates that around 20,000 Russian soldiers were killed in 2022.
In 2023, this number more than doubled, reaching between 47,000 and 53,000. Last year, the number of Russian casualties surged to nearly 100,000. These numbers are likely to be higher due to the fact that they do not include foreign fighters or conscripts from occupied Ukrainian territories.
The report also states that Russia’s total losses, including killed, wounded, missing, and captured personnel, are significantly higher. Ukraine’s General Staff reported on February 24 that there were 868,230 such cases.
President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Moscow had lost around 250,000 soldiers since the invasion began, with 20,000 of them killed in battles for Russia’s Kursk Oblast alone. He also stated that over 610,000 Russian troops have been wounded during this time.
Ukrainian forces launched a cross-border incursion into Kursk last August and took control of around 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory. North Korean soldiers were reportedly deployed to the area in support of Russian forces.
The rising number of casualties has led to an increase in missing persons cases in Russia, with courts handling 20,000 such claims last year – two-and-a-half times the pre-war annual average.
The U.K. has imposed its largest-ever package of sanctions on Russia, targeting the country’s “shadow fleet” of tankers and foreign-based companies providing military parts to Russia. The U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and several European countries have also announced new sanctions or packages of support for Ukraine.
Russian troops are being killed in Ukraine at a rate of around 100,000 per year since the invasion began.