Number of casualties in Russia’s war on Ukraine reaches 2 million
Russia’s decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine has now cost the country nearly 450,000 lives, according to a new study that estimates the total number of casualties in the war has surpassed 2 million.
Research by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates 1.4 million casualties in Russia, including soldiers killed, wounded and missing; This is a striking figure, accounting for roughly 1% of the country’s population.
Losses are not evenly distributed across Russia; poorer regions and ethnic minorities suffer significantly higher casualty rates. Stories about the near-extermination of male populations in small remote villages are becoming more common in Russian opposition media. According to the research, Russia cannot recruit new soldiers at the rate it loses.
“These rates are astounding,” said study authors Seth G. Jones and Riley McCabe. “Russian deaths in Ukraine are four times greater than all US deaths in all wars.” combined “That’s nine times more than the total number of Soviet and Russian deaths combined in all wars since World War II and World War II.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine is estimated to have suffered between 525,000 and 625,000 deaths, including 125,000 to 150,000 deaths.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine publish official casualty data, but the latest CSIS figures are largely in line with western estimates.
In terms of casualties, the war has become much more costly for Russia than for Ukraine, Jones and McCabe said. They said the casualty rate likely rose to almost eight to one in the first half of this year, meaning there were eight Russian casualties for every Ukrainian soldier killed, wounded or missing.
A dead Russian soldier lies on the roadside after a Russian vehicle was destroyed by Ukrainian forces on the main road near Sytnyaky, Ukraine, on March 3, 2022. – Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images
For most of the war, the ratio was between two and three Russian casualties for one Ukrainian loss. Jones and McCabe said the recent increase is tied to Kiev’s advances in its drone program, particularly its ability to greatly expand the “kill zone” (the area around the front lines that is so saturated with drones that it makes it nearly impossible for Russian troops to enter).
“Ukraine’s defense-in-depth strategy was effective in killing and wounding Russian soldiers, as well as limiting Russian maneuvering,” the statement said.
But they said there were other reasons why Russia was suffering so much; these include “Russia’s strategy of attrition, its failure to effectively conduct combined arms and joint warfare, its poor tactics and training, corruption, and low morale.”
Whatever the reasons, the data paint a grim picture: With a total of 2 million casualties, the war in Ukraine has now surpassed the battle of Stalingrad, which is now considered likely the bloodiest conflict in history.
CNN’s Anna Chernova contributed reporting.
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