Summary and 5 Key Points: In May, Russian casualties in Ukraine reached a record high, with close to 40,000 soldiers lost in just 31 days of combat.

-This unprecedented loss has raised significant concerns about Moscow’s capacity to sustain such heavy casualties without achieving any substantial operational or strategic gains.

-The Ukrainian estimates also indicate severe losses in equipment, including 880 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, and 1,160 artillery guns.

-Despite these sacrifices, Russia has failed to meet its primary objectives, with British Military Intelligence reporting over 1,200 Russian casualties per day in May alone, the highest since the war began.

-Russian casualties in Ukraine are mounting, with May being the single-deadliest month in the war so far.

Record Russian Casualties in Ukraine: May’s Shocking Numbers

In 31 days of combat, the Russian forces lost close to 40,000 men, raising questions about Moscow’s ability to sustain such a high level of losses with no real operational or strategic benefits.

The Deadliest Month of the War in Ukraine 

May was the deadliest month of the war for the Russian forces. According to the Ukrainian estimates, in May, the Russian forces lost approximately 38,940 men killed, wounded, or captured.

Moreover, the Russian forces lost around 880 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, making May the second-deadliest month for these particular weapon systems.

In 2024 so far, Russia has lost almost 4,000 of these direct-support weapon systems. In terms of artillery, the Russian forces lost approximately 1,160 guns in May, marking a record since the launching of the full-scale invasion.

However, the Kremlin has little to show for its losses. Although it has a firm grip on a substantial portion of Ukrainian territory, strategically, Moscow has failed to achieve any of its main objectives.

“Russia planned to surround Kyiv within three days, bring down the government, and conquer most of Ukraine in less than a month. In reality, three years on, these objectives have failed. In May alone, Russian casualties were over 1,200 per day, the highest reported since the war began,” the British Military Intelligence stated.

“Russia has now likely suffered more than half a million needless casualties and deaths. Russia is still trying to overwhelm Ukraine with outdated equipment and bad leadership,” the British Military Intelligence added.

But the casualties for the Russian military continue to be on an upward trend. Over the past 24 hours, the Russian forces lost approximately 1,210 trooped killed, wounded, or captured, as well as 68 tactical vehicles and fuel trucks, 59 unmanned aerial systems, 36 artillery guns, 10 pieces of special equipment, 9 main battle tanks, 9 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 7 cruise missiles, and 1 air defense system.

Indeed, in June, the Russian forces have already lost over 8,500 men killed, wounded, or captured, as well as around 478 tactical vehicles and fuel tanks, 356 artillery pieces and multiple launch rocket systems, 328 unmanned aerial systems, 158 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, and 103 main battle tanks.

As we have said previously here on The National Interest, the Kremlin has an impressive force generation capability when it comes to manpower. Indeed, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his advisers seem completely fine with the idea of losing almost 40,000 men every month—a rate that would approach 500,000 a year—in order to achieve their goals in Ukraine since they know that Russia’s vast manpower reserves will replenish the losses.

And yet, the current rates of losses are extreme, and the Russian military wouldn’t likely be able to absorb almost half a million losses a year on top of the already 500,000 casualties it has suffered so far.

About the Author: 

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 the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

All images are Creative Commons.