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Russian Fatalities Hit Up to 1,000 a Day in December, Says NATO Chief Rutte
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Russia suffered catastrophic battlefield losses in December 2025, with as many as 1,000 soldiers killed each day, according to internal alliance data cited by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21.
Rutte said the figures refer specifically to fatalities, not wounded personnel. In total, Russian forces lost more than 30,000 troops killed in a single month, a toll that exceeds the entire death count of the Soviet Union’s 10-year war in Afghanistan, where roughly 20,000 soldiers were killed.
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Despite these losses, Rutte noted, Russia has continued large-scale offensive operations.
He also pointed to the situation in Kyiv, where sustained Russian missile and drone strikes have hit energy infrastructure during extreme winter conditions. With temperatures dropping to minus 20 degrees Celsius, Ukraine’s power system is currently able to meet only about 60% of national demand, he said.
Rutte emphasized that Ukraine urgently needs more air-defense interceptors and Western-supplied weapons, but acknowledged that European stockpiles are limited. Additional funding being prepared by the European Commission, estimated at €90 billion, is not expected to become available until spring 2026.
He concluded by warning that support for Ukraine must remain the West’s top strategic priority, stressing that the outcome of the war will directly shape the security of both Europe and the United States.
Earlier, Britain’s Ministry of Defense stated the 2025 figure for Russians killed and wounded was below 2024, when it assessed losses at about 430,000, and put total Russian casualties since February 2022 at roughly 1,213,000.
The Ministry added that Russia’s average daily casualty rate rose to about 1,130 in December 2025 from about 1,030 in November, marking a fourth consecutive monthly increase.
-0f499cd61ca7a4ba5584ff4b3b9b29b7.png "A large fire in Russia’s Black Sea port of Taman, January 22, 2026. (Source: Exilenova+)")
