Nearly 500,000 Ukrainian and Russian troops have been killed or wounded since Moscow’s invasion 18 months ago, a new report said Friday, underlining the rising toll of the Kremlin’s assault on its smaller neighbor.
The figures are estimates. A comprehensive accounting is complicated by Russia likely undercounting casualties, while Ukraine does not publish its official figures on soldiers wounded or killed, US officials behind the estimates told the New York Times.
They said Russia’s casualty count was approaching 300,000 — a figure the Times reported includes up to 120,000 deaths, and as many as 180,000 wounded.
That is well above estimates for Ukraine, whose military, currently in the midst of a nearly three month-long counteroffensive, is believed to have suffered around 70,000 deaths. A further 100,000 to 120,000 Ukrainian troops are believed to have been wounded.
Ukraine’s overall battlefield presence is smaller than Russia’s: Kyiv has around 500,000 troops, compared to almost three times as many for Russia, which has more than 1.3 million troops.
The figures include active duty, reserve and paramilitary troops, according to the Times.
The casualty estimates show just how the toll from the war has spiraled: The last public estimate from the Biden administration in November estimated more than 100,000 troops on each side killed or wounded since the war started in February 2022. /argumentum.al
