U.S. officials say Russia has suffered about 600,000 casualties in the war with Ukraine, more than losses in all conflicts since World War II combined.
A senior US defense official told reporters on a conference call Wednesday that September was Russia's deadliest month of the entire war.
“Just one year after the start of the war, Russia's losses, again in killed and wounded, exceeded the combined losses of the Soviet Union in all conflicts since World War II,” the official said.
But the official warned that the huge number of casualties was not a “definitive indicator” of Ukraine's success. There were also many casualties in Ukraine, but the US has not disclosed the number.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in February that about 31,000 soldiers had been killed.
The British Ministry of Defense announced that as of September, Russia had 1,271 casualties per day, meaning that approximately 648,000 Russians had been killed or wounded in the war.
North Korean troops are currently fighting for Russia in Ukraine, Seoul says
Ukrainian forces inflicted approximately 600,000 casualties on Russian forces. (Reuters/Rishi Niesner)
“Continuing to throw large numbers of people at this problem is typical of Russia's way of waging war, and there will continue to be significant losses,” a U.S. military official said.
South Korea warned earlier this week that North Korea was sending troops to fight alongside Russia.
Russia also lost two-thirds of its prewar tank inventory and 32 medium to large naval vessels to Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is “trying to avoid large-scale mobilization because it could affect Russia's population,” the official said.
“Right now, he's been able to significantly increase the pay of these volunteers, and he's been able to keep these troops deployed without mass mobilization.”
“And I think we're watching very closely to see how long that stance can actually last for him. And that's an important thing for all of us to watch very closely. I think so,” the source added.
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Ukraine's military said on Wednesday that it had attacked a base housing about 400 attack drones in Russia's southern Krasnodar region.
Russia has made some progress in the Donetsk region, capturing the town of Vledal earlier this month and closing in on Povrosk, an important Ukrainian rail hub and supply base.
A woman stands in the backyard of her home, which was destroyed by a Russian airstrike, during Russia's attack on Ukraine on Thursday in Zaporizhia, Ukraine. (Reuters/Stringer)
A senior US defense official told reporters on a conference call Wednesday that September was Russia's deadliest month of the entire war. (Reuters/Viacheslav Ratynskyi/File photo)
U.S. officials said Russia's strategy over Vroedal and Povrosk had resulted in “huge casualties” in exchange for modest gains.
Russia's Kursk region, which was invaded by Ukraine in August, is also in the midst of intense fighting. Ukraine hoped to divert Russian forces from the front lines in order to defend Kursk. Russia has since retaken parts of the region, but military officials said Ukrainian forces could hold the Kursk region for months or more.
Meanwhile, the United States continues to pour billions of dollars into Ukraine's defense. President Biden last month announced an $8 billion plan to supply Kiev with military equipment through January. This is the last of the $61 billion that Congress approved for Ukraine in April.
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Despite Zelenskiy's calls, Biden feared escalation and authorized Ukraine to use long-range missiles, known as ATACMs, supplied by the United States to attack inside Russia and destroy weapons caches. I'm resisting doing it.
Many U.S. lawmakers support Zelensky's request, but U.S. officials have said the Biden administration is not considering changing policy. He said many of the weapons Ukraine is seeking to remove, including deadly Russian glide bombs, have been moved out of range of the ATACM.
