Almost a million Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the country's war against Ukraine, a staggering figure as Russia's three-year offensive continues. This is reported by NYT, reports UNN.
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A study released Tuesday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington estimates that about 400,000 Ukrainian soldiers have also been killed or wounded since the start of the war. Thus, the total number of Russian and Ukrainian troop losses together is almost 1.4 million.
Officials have warned that casualty figures are difficult to assess, as Moscow is believed to regularly underreport the number of dead and wounded in the war, and Kyiv does not release official figures. The study, released Tuesday, relied on casualty data from estimates by the U.S. and British governments, among other sources.
These figures reflect an overall report of Russia's slow progress in Ukraine, with Russia advancing in some places at a rate of about 165 feet per day, which is slower than even the delay and cost of advancing British and French troops at the Somme during World War I.
According to CSIS, Russia has captured less than 1 percent of Ukraine's territory since January 2024, even as it continues to advance in the country. In total, Russia has occupied about 20 percent of Ukraine.
In addition, North Korea has sent more than 10,000 soldiers to help Russia retake the western Kursk region, where Ukraine captured territory last summer.
However, given Russia's high casualty rates and slow pace of territorial gains, Putin may face years of a grueling war of attrition in Ukraine, especially if the United States and Europe continue to provide Ukraine with military assistance and intelligence
Also, according to American and European officials and military analysts, Ukraine's ability to hold out for so long — and to launch offensive operations in Russia, as it did last weekend during a daring series of strikes on Russian airfields — has undermined the global image of Russian military power.
The Russian military is having difficulty conducting large-scale ground troop operations, overcoming prepared Ukrainian defenses, or breaking through Ukrainian lines to achieve significant operational gains.
For Russia to win the war in the near future, according to Jones, co-author of the study, the United States would have to end its support for Ukraine.
The Russians will maintain a long-term balance of power if President Trump leaves. If the U.S. doesn't leave, Putin will have serious problems.
But after Trump initially said he could quickly reach a peaceful settlement, he dismissed calls from Ukraine and European leaders to find ways to push Putin to end the war.
Let us remind you
Over the past day, Ukrainian defenders eliminated more than a thousand Russian soldiers. Dozens of tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery systems and other equipment of the occupiers were also destroyed.