Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Russian army has lost 1 million personnel killed and wounded. The Russian leadership appears willing to tolerate heavy losses in pursuit of tactical gains on the battlefield.
This was reported by the UK Ministry of Defence on X (formerly Twitter).
According to the update, out of the 1 million casualties, around 250,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or are missing and presumed dead—the highest Russian military losses since World War II. In 2025 alone, Russia has already lost 200,000 troops. According to Ukraine’s General Staff, Russia’s average daily losses now exceed 1,250 personnel.
UK intelligence estimates that irrecoverable combat losses (killed, missing, or severely wounded) currently stand at between 400,000 and 500,000.
"Wounded soldiers, especially those with severe injuries, continue to overwhelm Russia’s military medical system at all levels of care. This creates major logistical challenges and leads to a shortage of military medics," the report states.
Mass Assault Tactics and Leadership Attitude
According to British intelligence, Russian forces are very likely continuing efforts to stretch Ukraine’s defenses by exploiting numerical superiority in order to break through positions and achieve tactical successes.
"Russia’s top leadership is almost certainly prepared to tolerate consistently high levels of casualties—so long as it does not undermine public or elite support for the war, and as long as the losses remain replaceable," the UK Ministry of Defence concluded.
