- Russian military casualties in Ukraine exceed 50,000
- Second year of conflict saw a 25% increase
- “Meat grinder” tactics likely contributed to escalating losses
Research indicates that Russian military casualties in the conflict with Ukraine have surpassed fifty thousand.
Wednesday marked the release of the death toll, which has been tallied since February 2022, when Moscow’s forces invaded the neighbouring state. The BBC noted that the rate of casualties increased in the second year of the conflict.
Volunteers and the independent media organisation Mediazona collated the death toll for Russian soldiers in the second year of the conflict, which rose by 25,300, representing a 25 per cent increase compared to the first year.
According to the sole official death toll disclosed by Russia in September 2022, slightly less than 6,000 of its military personnel had perished.
“Meat processor”
According to the research, Moscow’s use of “meat grinder” tactics last year probably contributed to an escalation in the rate of military losses.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), as the front line in eastern Ukraine became entrenched in 2023, frontal assaults involving surges of troops degenerated into battleground tactics.
This caused Russian losses to soar during massive offensives in Donetsk and, months later, in the struggle to capture the city of Bakhmut.
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A minimum of two-fifths of the deceased Russian combatants had no prior association with the military. They were recruited as detainees, volunteers, or civilians and thus encountered difficulties acquiring technical and tactical expertise.
Approximately 9,000 captives, recruited directly by the Ministry of Defence or through the Wagner mercenary organisation, perished during the invasion, according to the analysis. The average survival time of these recruits was two to three months.
Its data does not include militia casualties in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, adding that the likely total number of fatalities exceeds 50,000.
Ukraine disclosed the loss of 31,000 soldiers in February. It is also generally accepted that this number is probably lower than the actual toll.
In response to the report, the Kremlin stated that it does not divulge information regarding military casualties and fatalities, as that is the responsibility of the defence ministry.
“Understandable” is the ministry’s decision not to disclose the figures, according to AFP spokesman Dmitry Peskov, citing laws protecting official secrets of Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.
