The Russian forces have suffered over 800,000 losses in the war in Ukraine.  

Putin and his Kremlin advisers were expecting a quick “special military operation” in Ukraine that would last around three days to a couple of weeks. After almost three years of fighting and, now, 800,000 losses, there has been nothing quick and easy about the conflict in Ukraine.  

Sky High Losses  

“Russian forces sustained 429,660 casualties, killed and wounded, in the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2024, a notable increase on the 252,940 casualties sustained in 2023, according to the Ukrainian General Staff reporting,” the British Military Intelligence assessed in its latest estimate of the conflict.  

Since the start of the large-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, the Russian forces have lost approximately 800,000 troops killed and wounded, per Kyiv’s assessments.  

“December 2024 was likely the most costly [sic] month of the war for Russia with a total of 48,670 casualties reported by the Ukraine General Staff,” the British Military Intelligence added.  

In November, the Ukrainian authorities reported approximately 45,680 Russian losses. In addition, for six straight months, the Russian forces were taking increasingly high monthly casualties.  

Since May, the Russian military has adopted an attritional strategy. In exchange for men, Moscow is looking to capture more Ukrainian territory. To a certain degree, this strategy has lived up to its demands. In about seven months, the Russian forces lost more than 250,000 men, or more than the initial invasion force. 

In exchange, they captured several hundred square miles of territory. Although that territory is mostly farmland and fields, the Russian forces have captured some important points on the battlefield, including Chasiv Yar, Vuhledar, and Kurakhove.  

“The average daily Russian casualties reached a new monthly war high during December 2024. The average daily loss rate was 1,570, the fifth straight month that Russian Forces have sustained new war high average daily losses,” the British Military Intelligence stated. 

The record high of Russian casualties took place on December 19, when the Russian military, paramilitary units, and pro-Russian separatist forces suffered 2,200 losses.  

“Russia will highly likely continue to experience high casualty rates over January 2025 with continued dismounted infantry attacks on multiple axes,” the British Military Intelligence concluded.  

Although it may seem odd that Moscow insists on a strategy that kills or maims an average of around 1,500 of its troops daily (and destroys or damages scores of tactical vehicles and heavy weapon systems), this is the strategy that has led to some of the most significant gains for the Russian forces since the initial invasion.  

As such, Moscow will likely keep at it and continue to sacrifice tens of thousands of men every month to achieve tactically significant but strategically meager progress.  

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University and an MA from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

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