Russia’s Losses In Ukraine War: 15 Times More Deaths Than Afghanistan

Stephen Silver

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Key Points and Summary – Russian casualties in the Ukraine war have surpassed the “stunning and grisly milestone” of 1 million, a figure confirmed by Ukrainian officials and in line with Western intelligence estimates.

-A recent CSIS report highlights the catastrophic scale, noting that Russian fatalities are roughly 15 times greater than the Soviet Union’s entire decade-long war in Afghanistan.

-In addition to the staggering human toll, Russia has lost thousands of tanks and armored vehicles. Compounding the tragedy, reports indicate Moscow is systematically reclassifying its missing soldiers as “deserters” to hide the true numbers and deny compensation to families.

How Bad Are Russia’s Losses in Ukraine? The Numbers Are Staggering.

In June, the General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces announced that the number of Russian casualties since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war had crossed the 1 million mark. The AP reported at the time that the 1 million figure was “in line with Western intelligence estimates.”

Also in June, the Center for Strategic and International Studies released a report called “Russia’s Battlefield Woes in Ukraine.”

In addition to noting that Russia’s advance had been very slow and that Russia had lost a great deal of equipment, the casualty counts were huge.

“Russian fatalities and casualties have been extraordinary. Russia will likely hit the 1 million casualty mark in the summer of 2025—a stunning and grisly milestone,” the report said, comparing it to massive losses in Russian and Soviet wars of the past.

“Overall, a high of 250,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine, with over 950,000 total Russian casualties, a sign of Putin’s blatant disregard for his soldiers. To put these numbers into historical perspective, Russia has suffered roughly five times as many fatalities in Ukraine as in all Russian and Soviet wars combined between the end of World War II and the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. In addition, Russian fatalities in Ukraine (in just over three years) are 15 times larger than the Soviet Union’s decade-long war in Afghanistan and 10 times larger than Russia’s 13 years of war in Chechnya.”