Additional Coverage:
- Western intelligence estimates over 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in Ukraine (newsbreak.com)
In the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Western intelligence reports reveal that Russia has experienced over 610,000 military casualties. Britain’s defense ministry highlighted that Moscow faced significant losses last month, attributing the surge to Ukraine’s recent incursion into Russian territory and Moscow’s offensive operations near the city of Pokrovsk.
According to Britain’s defense ministry, the conflict resulted in approximately 1,187 Russian soldiers killed or injured daily last month, a number slightly higher than July’s daily average of 1,140 casualties. The ministry speculates that the increased casualty rate is directly related to Russia’s military engagements, including Ukraine’s proactive measures in Russia’s Kursk region aimed at diverting Russian forces to reduce pressure on Pokrovsk. Despite these efforts, Ukraine acknowledges that the strategic relief in that area did not materialize as hoped.
The UK’s latest defense update noted that Russia’s high casualty rates are partly due to their reliance on sheer numbers to compensate for deficiencies in personnel and equipment capabilities. It is expected that the Russian forces will continue to suffer over a thousand casualties daily throughout September as they persist in their extended frontline engagements. Losses have remained substantial throughout the summer.
Furthermore, beyond the heavy toll in human lives, Russia has also lost a vast array of military hardware. According to the open-source intelligence site Oryx, which keeps track of war material losses, Russia has lost nearly 10,000 armored vehicles, numerous aircraft and helicopters, and several naval vessels since the conflict commenced.
Despite these significant losses in personnel and equipment, analysts suggest that Russia still possesses the resources to sustain its military efforts in Ukraine for an extended period.