Top secret files uncover the hidden toll of Russian soldiers in Ukraine

Not long ago documents from the United States Department of Defense were leaked and they revealed the harsh truth about just how many soldiers Russia has lost since the attack on Ukraine first began.

Rough calculations from The Economist of Russia's killed, captured, or wounded based on leaked defense department documents suggest that Moscow's losses in the war might reach close to three-quarters of a million. 

The calculations did not include personnel who had been severely injured and could not return to the front—nor did they account for those recruited from the occupied territories. 

The Economist’s calculations estimated that it is likely somewhere around three to four Russian soldiers are wounded for every soldier killed in the ongoing battles of the war. 

Based on the information in the leaked documents, it is probable that between 462,000 and 728,000 Russian soldiers had been taken out of action up to around mid-June 2024.

The most severe losses were among men aged between 35 and 39, with 27,000 having been killed while the largest ratio of those lost based on their percentage of the Russian population has been among those aged 45 and 49. 

"The latest estimates suggest that roughly 2% of all Russian men aged between 20 and 50 may have been either killed or severely wounded in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war," The Economist report noted. 

“Russia’s losses in Ukraine since 2022 dwarf the number of casualties from all its wars since the Second World War combined,” The Economist added, which if true, does not bode well for the future of the Russian population. 

The Economist also reported that the number of casualties it estimated was higher than the total number of Russian troops that initially invaded Ukraine on February 24th, 2022. 

Deciphering the accuracy behind The Economist’s calculations is difficult since Moscow does not provide details on its casualties, but we have some clues they may be close to correct.  

In May, French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné told the Russian independent news agency Novaya Gazeta Europe that Moscow’s losses had reached upwards of 500,000.  

“We estimate Russian military losses at 500,000, including 150,000 deaths," the French Foreign Minister said according to a translation of his comments published by France24. 

"All of this for what?" Séjourné said. "This can be summed up in two words: for nothing." However, France wasn’t the only country to confirm Russian losses topped 500,000. 

The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence revealed in a May 31st war update posted on social media that Russia has likely reached 500,000 losses since beginning its invasion. 

“The total number of Russian casualties (killed and wounded) since the start of the war in February 2022 has now likely reached 500,000,” the defence ministry update noted.

Most of the recent losses Russia has suffered to reach half a million casualties were the result of its “attritional offensive” style of warfare being employed across the frontlines of  Ukraine, meaning its tactics on the battlefield are earning Moscow high casualties. 

“It is highly likely that most Russian forces receive only limited training, and they are unable to carry out complex offensive operations. As a result, Russia employs small-scale but costly wave attacks in an effort to weaken Ukrainian defences,” the defense ministry noted.

Russia may be able to absorb its relatively high losses, however. As many as 25,000 to 30,000 men are still being recruited to fight in Ukraine each month according to a New York Times report from late June. 

In February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the conflict since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Russia’s killed in action have been estimated to be far higher. 

According to The Kyiv Independent, the Russian independent media outlets Meduza and Mediazone in partnership with BBC News Russia have estimated roughly 120,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the conflict.

As of June 8th,  the Ukrainian General Staff estimated Russian losses to have reached 552,190 its latest daily update on war casualties and equipment losses. However, the General Staff does not distinguish between killed and wounded.

Never miss a story! Click here to follow The Daily Digest.