Casualty Gap: Ukraine claims 46,000 dead vs. over 200,000 Russian fatalities.
The Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, His Excellency General Stasiski, has urged NATO commanders to remain vigilant as Russia significantly increases its combat force, reportedly reaching a total of 640,000 troops.
According to a report by the Independence of Ukraine news agency, published on October 16, Ukrainian military leaders delivered a stark warning during a meeting of the NATO–Ukraine Council. General Senilenko stated that Moscow is mobilizing its largest reserve force to date, a move that Ukrainian officials believe is a sign of a looming major offensive.
Ukraine’s intelligence services and army leadership confirm that Russia has recently deployed new troops to the front lines. These deployments suggest Russia is preparing for an intensified campaign. On May 13, Ukrainian sources reported that Russian forces may be planning to launch a large-scale operation aimed at seizing more territory from Ukrainian control in the coming days.
Despite calls from several European nations and the United States for a 30-day ceasefire in March 2025, Russia has rejected any such truce. Ukrainian intelligence chief Vadym Sbily revealed that as of early May 2025, over 620,000 Russian troops are now stationed on Ukrainian soil. For comparison, back in November 2024, the Russian military presence in Ukraine was estimated at around 580,000 soldiers.
In recent months, Russian forces have captured multiple villages and key locations in the Donbas region. During the Battle of Kuok, Russia reportedly gained near-total control, though it came at the cost of heavy casualties and weapon losses.
A report released on May 15 by Ukraine’s General Staff estimates that Russia has lost over 970,000 soldiers since the full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022. While this number is based on Ukrainian assessments and may vary, the scale of the losses is unprecedented.
Independent Russian media outlets, including Sona Media, have reported significant casualties as well. These sources claim that at least 165,000 Russian soldiers have died—figures far exceeding casualties in other Russian military campaigns, such as the Soviet war in Afghanistan (1979–1989), which resulted in roughly 25,000 Soviet deaths over a decade.
Ukrainian intelligence previously reported in 2014 that Russian fatalities were nearing 100,000. Now, estimates suggest over 200,000 Russian troops have been killed, with more than 700,000 wounded since the war began.
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on February 15, 2025, that Moscow has lost approximately 250,000 troops. In an interview with NBC News on February 16, he added that Ukraine had lost 46,000 soldiers, with over 380,000 wounded.
Before the war, Russia had a standing military force of 1 million combat troops and 1 million reservists. Ukraine, by comparison, maintained 200,000 active soldiers and 700,000 reserves. Both countries have since expanded their forces dramatically, but Russia has increased its troop strength by nearly fivefold during the war.
This rapid militarization has also caused a mass exodus. Tens of thousands of young Russians have reportedly fled the country to avoid conscription. In response, the Russian government in Moscow has restricted the ability of young men to leave the country unless absolutely necessary.
U.S. President Joe Biden noted that more than 2 million Russians have left the country since the war began, seeking to avoid military service. Despite these defections, Russia continues to increase its military capabilities month by month.