A recently declassified U.S. intelligence report has revealed the devastating toll that the Ukraine war has taken on Russia. According to the report, Russia has lost approximately 315,000 troops, which accounts for nearly 90% of its personnel at the start of the conflict. These losses include both deaths and injuries. Additionally, the report states that Russia's military modernization has been set back by 18 years due to the losses in personnel and armored vehicles to Ukraine's military.
Russian officials have disputed these figures, claiming that Western estimates of Russian death tolls are exaggerated and that Ukrainian losses are much greater. However, the source of the report stands by its assessment.
The report also highlights the measures that Russia has had to take in order to sustain its ability to fight. It states that Russia has declared a partial mobilization of 300,000 personnel and has had to loosen recruitment standards, allowing the recruitment of convicts and older civilians. These extraordinary measures demonstrate the scale of the losses that Russia has suffered.
In terms of equipment, the Russian army now has only 1,300 armored vehicles left on the battlefield. To bolster its forces, Russia has had to rely on tanks produced in the 1970s.
On the Ukrainian side, the government treats its losses as a state secret, citing concerns that disclosing the figure could harm its war effort. However, a New York Times report from August estimated the Ukrainian death toll to be close to 70,000. Historian Yaroslav Tynchenko and volunteer Herman Shapovalenko, writing in the Ukrainian journal Tyzhden, confirmed 24,500 Ukrainian combat and non-combat deaths using open sources, but noted that the actual figure is likely higher.
As the conflict continues, it is evident that both sides have suffered significant losses. The declassified intelligence report provides a sobering assessment of the toll the war has taken on Russia and the challenges it faces in its military operations.