Russia’s War Against Ukraine Costs $200 Billion and 700,000 Casualties, Pentagon Chief Reports

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that Russia has spent over $200 billion on its war in Ukraine and suffered at least 700,000 military casualties (both killed and wounded) since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.

The Pentagon Chief announced that while speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California on December 7.

“And meanwhile, Russia has paid a staggering price for Putin's folly. Russia has suffered at least 700,000 casualties since February 2022. It's squandered more than $200 billion,” Austin said.

The US Defense Secretary pointed out Russia’s record losses in the latest months.

“You know, in recent months, Russia has taken as many as a thousand casualties a day. And Russian losses in just the first year of Putin's war of choice seem to have been more than Moscow's losses in all of its conflicts since World War II—combined,” he added.

These numbers align with estimates from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which reported Russia’s losses at over 750,000 as of December 8, including both killed and wounded.

At the same time, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has recently stated that 43,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.