Oleg Davygora23:00, 08.10.25

More than a million Russian soldiers were wounded or killed during the war, and the invasion also resulted in significant losses among the Russian officer corps.

On Monday, October 6, a Russian Ministry of Defense document was published revealing Russia’s losses in the war in Ukraine in 2025, according to  Forbes .

The report provides a breakdown of Russian military casualties for each group operating in Ukraine. Information published by an organization that helps Russian Armed Forces personnel safely surrender to Ukrainian forces showed that the Russians have lost more than 280,000 personnel since January.

An independent assessment by Meduza and the BBC Russian Service estimated that in the 2025 calendar year, the Russians have lost approximately 219,000 personnel. These figures demonstrate the devastating consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russia also lost tens of billions of dollars in military equipment and hardware. Two-thirds of Russia’s pre-invasion tank force was destroyed, and the Ukrainians sank or damaged nearly half of the Russian naval fleet in the Black Sea.

It is estimated that the Russian Federation has lost hundreds of billions of dollars due to international sanctions.

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, hundreds of thousands of Russian troops were called up for war. Among them were young and inexperienced soldiers, as well as veterans and senior officers.

It is noted that the Russian government also mobilized thousands of Russian men to fight in the war. As a result, these Russian citizens were forced to participate in the ongoing military invasion.

Over a million Russian soldiers were wounded or killed during the war, and the invasion also resulted in significant losses among the Russian officer corps.

According to a study conducted by Mediazona, Meduza, and the BBC Russian Service, nearly 6,000 senior Russian officers died during the war. Twelve of them were generals in the Russian army.

The study also found that the war disproportionately affected Russian men aged 30 to 39. Andrew D’Anieri, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, said:

“Russian men in their thirties are by far the largest demographic group of casualties on the Russian side. These are men who are soon entering their prime careers. Instead, volunteer soldiers, known as smugglers, opted for the huge initial payments offered by the government for fighting and dying in Ukraine.”

It is noted that although serving in the Russian army during wartime is fraught with many risks, incentives provided by the Russian government have contributed to an increase in recruits, demonstrating the effectiveness of the strategy. This is due to the fact that Russia is currently experiencing high inflation and economic uncertainty. Furthermore, the average monthly salary in Russia is $1,273, meaning Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine earn almost twice the national average.

According to D’Anieri, this also has a side effect. The Russian economy will have fewer skilled and semi-skilled workers who could produce for the economy and support their families. This has a serious negative impact on the Russian economy in the long term. These problems are unlikely to be resolved if the war continues.

Importantly, some of these signs are already present: the Russian Federation is already facing labor shortages in civilian industries. The Carnegie Endowment reported that industrial plants in Russia are operating at only 81% capacity, further demonstrating the impact of Russian military losses on the Russian workforce.

“Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine is gravely damaging Russia’s future, resulting in the needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the front lines and the emigration of some of Russia’s best and brightest young people,” said Dr. Brian Taylor, director of the Moynihan Institute at Syracuse University.

(C)UNIAN 2025