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“Slower Than a Snail”: Russia Suffered 42,700 Losses in July for Little Battlefield Gain, UK Ambassador Says
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British Ambassador to Ukraine Neil Crompton has said Russian forces are suffering heavy losses in eastern Ukraine while making only limited battlefield gains, describing their advance as slower than a snail.
Speaking in an interview with RBC-Ukraine on August 11, Crompton said the fighting in eastern Ukraine, particularly in Donetsk region, remains highly attritional, with Ukrainian forces inflicting significant casualties on Russian troops.
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The diplomat cited figures from military chiefs he had spoken with, saying Russian losses reached approximately 35,000 personnel in both April and May. In July, the figure rose to 42,700 killed or severely wounded.
Crompton said the figure for June was likely somewhat lower, noting that increased foliage can provide soldiers with greater cover and make movement safer. However, he described the overall casualty rate as extraordinary, comparing it with Soviet losses during the war in Afghanistan, where about 15,000 troops were killed.
Despite Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s claims of rapid advances by Russian forces, Crompton said the actual pace of their progress on the battlefield was significantly slower.
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“Our former Chief of the defense staff once said that a snail has actually advanced faster than Russian armed forces. And this is coming at a huge cost,” he said.
Crompton also highlighted the growing effectiveness of Ukrainian medium- and long-range strikes, particularly against Russian military infrastructure in occupied Crimea.
“President Putin was forced to declare a state of emergency. Russian holidaymakers are not going to Crimea. People are having to move out. It's causing real damage to the military supply lines,” the ambassador said.
He noted that Crimea remains strategically important to both Ukraine and Russia, albeit for different reasons, describing the peninsula as a “pearl in the crown” of Russia’s war.
Acting Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže commented the slow pace of Russia’s advance in Ukraine, saying that even comparing it to a snail would be unfair to the animal.
“To say that the Russian army is moving at a snail’s pace would be an insult to snails. If a snail had started moving from Avdiivka in February 2022 and headed west, it would have reached Czechia by now, while Russia is still stuck in the Donbas. Ukraine has seized the initiative—we must seize this moment and strengthen our support.”
Just a day earlier, the Kremlin and Russia’s Defense Ministry have set regional authorities a target of recruiting 409,000 contract soldiers this year, with each region assigned its own quota.
Despite sending newly recruited personnel directly to the front without building effective combat reserves, Russia’s territorial gains have continued to slow. Data from the Institute for the Study of War shows that Russian forces captured only 81 square kilometers during the first half of the year.
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