The Kremlin is denying a report that during the current Ukraine war, Russia has suffered the largest number of casualties recorded for any major power in any conflict since the Second World War.
The report from the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, released on Tuesday, said Russia suffered 1.2 million casualties, including up to 325,000 troop deaths, between February 2022 and December 2025. Further, the report warns that the number of soldiers killed, injured or missing on both sides of Russia’s war on Ukraine could hit million by the spring.
“Despite claims of battlefield momentum in Ukraine, the data shows that Russia is paying an extraordinary price for minimal gains and is in decline as a major power,” the report said. “No major power has suffered anywhere near these numbers of casualties or fatalities in any war since World War II.”
Commenting on the report, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that the research could not be considered “reliable information” and that only Russia’s Ministry of Defence was authorized to provide information on military losses.
Indeed. That aspect also seems to prevent their fellow soldiers from wanting to risk carrying out wounded soldiers that may have survivable injuries, as if they do, they become a much slower target for the follow up drone. The response to that from the wounded, at least from a lot of the combat footage I’ve seen, is that once hit in a way that prevents the ability to run or move, chances of self medivac or rescue are so low on the Russian side, that suicide is often employed a few minutes after being hit and abandoned.