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Russia Bleeds Past 1 Million Casualties—and Keeps Going, NATO Says
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
On the sidelines of the NATO summit on June 24, a senior NATO official stated that Russia has likely surpassed the threshold of one million total casualties in its war against Ukraine — including approximately 250,000 killed.
According to a UNITED24 Media correspondent, the official emphasized that Russian casualty rates remain “very, very high,” despite a recent tactical shift toward smaller, more mobile assault groups.
Russian forces increasingly rely on motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles to probe Ukrainian defenses — a change driven by heavy battlefield losses and a dwindling supply of Soviet-era tanks.
On average, Russia has sustained nearly 1,300 casualties per day in the first half of 2025, the official noted. While the rate has slightly decreased in recent months, NATO assesses that Russia is willing to tolerate these losses in pursuit of slow, incremental gains.
The official warned that Russia’s high casualty tolerance may lead to increased risk-taking, especially if future negotiations gain momentum.
“We believe they will continue this strategy — and that it may even increase their appetite for risk,” the official said.
Despite mounting losses, NATO sees no indication that Russian war aims have changed or that Moscow is seriously interested in a ceasefire.
Earlier on June 24, a senior NATO official told reporters that Russia can likely sustain its war in Ukraine until at least 2027, despite a sharp economic slowdown and a shrinking sovereign wealth fund.
