Russia Losing 25,000 Troops Monthly in Ukraine War, NATO Chief Reports

Russia is suffering catastrophic casualties in its ongoing war against Ukraine, with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte revealing that between 20,000 and 25,000 Russian troops are being killed each month as the conflict enters its fourth year.

“Let’s not forget that the Russians at the moment are losing massive amounts of their soldiers,” Rutte told the Renew Europe Global Europe Forum in Brussels on Tuesday. The NATO chief emphasized the scale of these losses by drawing a stark comparison: “In months, this is 20,000 to 25,000 Russians dead. I’m not talking seriously wounded, killed. Dead. Twenty to 25,000 a month. When you compare that to the Afghan war in the 1980s, they lost 20,000 in 10 years. Now, they lose these amounts, and more, in one month. So, that’s also unsustainable on their side.”

Despite these staggering casualties, Rutte warned that Russia remains NATO’s most significant long-term security threat, pointing to Moscow’s round-the-clock weapons production and continued pattern of aggressive behavior that shows no signs of abating.

A June study from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based defense and national security think tank, corroborates Rutte’s assessment. The analysis found that Russia has suffered extraordinarily high casualties while making only marginal territorial gains. Since January 2024, Russian forces have seized approximately 5,000 square kilometers—less than 1% of Ukraine’s territory—while total Russian casualties have climbed to an estimated 1 million, including as many as 250,000 killed.

The war’s devastating impact extends beyond military casualties. Moscow has intensified its missile and drone strikes against Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, targeting critical infrastructure as temperatures plunge below freezing. These attacks have left hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians without electricity and heating during the harsh winter months.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on Wednesday that Russia has struck the Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions, deliberately targeting energy sites and critical infrastructure. These attacks come as Washington works to secure a potential peace agreement to end the conflict.

The escalating strikes have drawn international condemnation. U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Tammy Bruce called the Russian attacks a “dangerous and inexplicable escalation” during an emergency Security Council meeting in New York on Monday.

The conflict’s trajectory has become increasingly concerning for NATO and Western allies as Russia shows little sign of backing down despite its enormous losses. The Russian military strategy appears focused on wearing down Ukrainian resistance through attrition and targeting civilian infrastructure, even as its own forces suffer unsustainable casualties.

Military analysts note that Russia’s willingness to absorb such massive losses reflects the Kremlin’s determination to achieve its objectives in Ukraine regardless of the human cost. However, the rate of casualties raises serious questions about how long Moscow can maintain its current offensive operations without significant changes to its military approach or overall war strategy.

For Ukraine, the defensive struggle continues against a larger adversary. While Ukrainian forces have demonstrated remarkable resilience, the ongoing Russian strikes on energy infrastructure present a severe humanitarian challenge as civilians endure power outages and heating failures during winter.

The conflict has evolved into a war of attrition where both sides face mounting costs, though Russia’s losses appear disproportionately high relative to its territorial gains. As diplomatic efforts continue in the background, the battlefield reality remains grim, with no immediate end to hostilities in sight.