Russia Has Lost 1 Million Soldiers in the War. How Many More Will It Throw into the Meat Grinder?

Russian military losses have surpassed one million soldiers as of June 12, Ukraine’s General Staff reported. It includes those killed and severely wounded—soldiers unlikely to ever return to the battlefield. In 40 months of war, Russia has lost one million men.

How staggering is that number? Russia suffered fewer losses during the entire 10-year war in Afghanistan, and even fewer in the First and Second Chechen Wars combined, totaling less than a tenth of current casualties. No conflict since World War II has cost Russia this many lives. Not even the decade-long war in Yugoslavia saw such military losses. A million dead or incapacitated—the equivalent of wiping out a major city.

The figures highlight what is now the largest and most intense military offensive in Europe since WWII—one that Ukraine has managed to halt and contain on its own.

Year by year, Russia’s losses have only increased. The Kremlin continues to send untrained conscripts into battle, deploying “meat wave” assaults, relying almost exclusively on infantry to push forward.

Russia’s war in Ukraine by the numbers

Russia’s casualty breakdown by year:

• 2022: 106,720

• 2023: 360,010

• 2024: 790,800

• June 12, 2025: 1 million total

To grasp the scale: In just the first 10 months of the 2022 invasion, Russia lost more than 106,000 soldiers. During the 2024 assault on Avdiivka alone, over 40,000 were killed or permanently incapacitated. To seize a single city, the Kremlin deployed more than 120,000 troops — and lost one in every three.

Based on these numbers, Russia is now losing around 40,000 troops each month. If this trend continues, total losses in 2025 alone could exceed 400,000—more than the size of any European army.

This relentless attrition reveals the Russian military command’s disregard for human life. While the front line has not expanded significantly, annual losses have soared. The reason is tactical: Russian commanders are relying on human waves to advance. As drones saturate the battlefield, armored assaults have decreased dramatically. The spearhead of Russian attacks is now small infantry groups, tasked with sprinting to Ukrainian positions and trying to hold them. This has led to massive casualties—between 1,000 and 2,000 troops per day.

Equipment losses are just as staggering. Ukrainian General Staff estimates that by June 2025, Russia had lost over 100,000 units of military and transport equipment:

• Nearly 11,000 tanks

• Up to 30,000 MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket Systems)

• Over 20,000 armored vehicles

• More than 50,000 trucks, fuel tankers, and other vehicles

The once-mythologized Soviet stockpiles—long considered endless, the backbone of Russia’s “second army of the world”—have evaporated in three years. Replenishing these losses will take decades: Russia can produce around 200 tanks annually, which is more than most nations, but is insignificant compared to the scale of its destruction.

Russia also lost 410 aircraft, including parts of Russia’s strategic air fleet, some of which can never be replaced. Elements of Russia’s nuclear triad have been irretrievably damaged. Ukraine has even managed to destroy a Russian submarine and essentially wipe out the Black Sea Fleet. Russia’s flagship lies at the bottom of the sea, and the remaining vessels have retreated to distant ports, wary of Ukraine’s naval drones.

Despite these enormous losses, the Kremlin shows no signs of backing down. Each month, Russia recruits 30,000 to 40,000 new soldiers lured with promises of huge payouts, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars, or even freedom for prisoners. Russian regions are being emptied of men but enriched with money: 2 million rubles for enlistment, up to 15 million for those killed in action. And the casualty numbers confirm—many are dying.

This war has long since become global. Iran helps build Shahed drones—deadly weapons used to bombard Ukrainian cities. North Korea supplies millions of artillery shells and self-propelled guns. Its forces are now reportedly fighting alongside Russians in the Kursk region. The Axis of Evil 2.0 is strengthening its cooperation.

A rhetorical—but chilling—question remains:

If Putin is willing to lose a million people without blinking, where will he turn his military power next if Ukraine falls?

Fundraiser For Peaceful Nights

$1,500,000 towards 10 Ukrainian AI-Controlled Turrets.

Donate