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Russia’s Daily Casualties Three Times Higher Than Ukraine’s, Says Zelenskyy
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Russia is losing roughly 1,000 soldiers a day in its war against Ukraine—about three times Ukraine’s own daily losses—President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told journalists on August 12, attended by The Kyiv Independent.
“For example, yesterday’s figures, which are roughly average: Russian losses per day were about 1,000—500 killed and 500 wounded,” Zelenskyy said.
Despite sustaining massive losses throughout the full-scale invasion, Russian forces have managed to accelerate their advance in recent months, aided by undermanned Ukrainian brigades in eastern Donetsk region.
Offering more precise numbers, Zelenskyy said that on August 11, Russia suffered 531 soldiers killed, 428 wounded, and nine captured. Ukraine’s losses that day, he claimed, totaled 340—including 18 killed, 243 wounded, and 79 missing.
“That’s about 1-to-3—their losses are three times higher,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian military claims that as of August, Russian casualties—killed, wounded, and captured—exceed 1 million, a figure broadly consistent with Western estimates. Moscow does not publish casualty statistics.
According to Zelenskyy, Moscow currently enjoys a 1-to-3 advantage in manpower and a 1-to-2.4 edge in artillery firepower. Ukraine, however, holds a slight 1-to-1.4 advantage in FPV drones—a gap that could widen to 1-to-4 if European partners provide additional funding, he said.
Ukraine has been grappling with persistent infantry shortages, making it difficult to replace frontline losses at the same rate as Russia. The thinning of defensive lines has created openings for Russian advances.
Earlier, Ukrainian forces secured key gains along the northern border, clearing the villages of Stepne and Novokostyantynivka (formerly Pershe Travnya) in the Sumy region. According to Ukraine’s General Staff, troops of the 225th Separate Assault Battalion pushed Russian units back beyond the state border through a series of active operations.
