The Russian military has reportedly lost 1,450 troops as well as nearly 200 pieces of military equipment in one of the deadliest – and costliest – days for Vladimir Putin's forces since the invasion began. This staggering statistic highlights the ongoing intensity of the conflict and the significant toll it has taken on military resources. On Thursday, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry released its latest estimate of losses suffered by "the Russian occupiers in Ukraine," based on reports provided by the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces.
Fighting continues on both sides of the frontlines, with Russian forces recently gaining an upper hand with the capture of Vuhledar, a Ukrainian stronghold in Donetsk, and its success in pushing back Kyiv's forces from the Kursk region. However, continued losses sustained by Moscow—both in terms of human capital and matériel—raise questions about how much more attritional warfare Russia can endure.
According to Ukraine's defense ministry, Russia lost 1,450 troops between Wednesday and Thursday, representing one of the highest single-day death tolls since the country launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. While this number is significant, it is still below the record of 1,740 troops lost on May 12, amid intense fighting in the Kharkiv region. This recent casualty figure brings Kyiv's total estimate of Russian casualties to a staggering 672,850.
What You Will Learn
- The ongoing conflict has led to significant troop and equipment losses for Russia.
- Recent estimates indicate Russia's military casualties are among the highest since the invasion began.
- The impact of attritional warfare raises concerns about Russia's military sustainability.
- Casualty figures vary widely, highlighting the challenges of verifying losses in the conflict.
As well as sustaining significant troop casualties, Russia also reportedly lost 177 pieces of military equipment, including 78 vehicles and fuel tanks, 31 unmanned aerial vehicles, 29 artillery systems, 30 armored fighting vehicles, and nine tanks. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance, drawing on calculations provided by Forbes Ukraine, this takes the total cost of equipment lost by Russia in Ukraine to over $73 billion.
Ukraine's ministries admit that the figures are approximate, and these far outpace estimates provided by other, unaffiliated researchers. On September 20, the BBC released its estimate of Russian fatalities in Ukraine, corroborated by family members or local authorities, putting the figure at over 70,000 since February 2022. While the true figure likely lies between these estimates, casualties on both sides have reached breathtaking levels over 900 days into the conflict.
Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing undisclosed Ukrainian and Western intelligence sources, that Ukraine and Russia had lost 80,000 and 200,000, respectively, since fighting broke out. Establishing the exact number of fatalities is a difficult task, with both countries declining to publish official figures of their own losses. However, Ukraine denied the number of Ukrainian deaths published by The Wall Street Journal, with Roman Kostenko, a Kyiv politician and Security Service Colonel, telling Radio Svoboda: "I think this is exaggerated data." He suggested that even an estimate of 50,000 could be overinflated.
Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this article? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.
The Untold Story Of Life After Stripping: A Journey To Self-Discovery
Joe Biden's Family Under Scrutiny: The Allegations And The Facts
A Widowed Mother's Dilemma: Should Her Stepson Leave Home?
