What You Need to Know: Russian forces are reportedly experiencing significant losses in Ukraine, with daily casualties reaching into the thousands. British Military Intelligence estimates that over 700,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded, drastically affecting the quality of Russia's military personnel.

-Additionally, Russia has lost at least 3,500 main battle tanks and 7,500 armored vehicles. Despite these losses, Russia remains engaged in the conflict.

The Ukraine War Is a Bloodbath for Putin 

The Russian forces continue to take extremely heavy losses in the fighting in Ukraine. Every day, the Russian military and its supporting forces are losing thousands of troops in the fighting. However, despite the extremely heavy losses, Russia is still very much in the fight. So, Ukraine needs to find alternative ways to defeat the invaders and focus on what matters.  

Heavy Losses in the Ukraine War for Russia 

“Russia’s personnel losses of over 700,000 killed and wounded have drastically undermined Russia’s forces quality. Most personnel currently serving in the Russian military have received minimal training, and Russian commanders use basic tactics to make advances, despite the associated high casualty rates,” the British Military Intelligence added.  

“Russia has lost at least 3,500 main battle tanks and 7,500 armored vehicles. Large stockpiles of tanks and armored vehicles, a legacy of the Soviet Union, have been the only means for Russia to be able to replenish these major losses,” the British Military Intelligence stated. 

And the heavy casualties for the Russian forces continue daily. 

Over the past twenty-four hours, the Russian military, paramilitary units, and pro-Russian separatist forces lost approximately 1,510 troops killed or wounded. In addition, the Russian forces lost approximately ninety-seven tactical vehicles and fuel trucks, fifty-seven unmanned aerial systems, fifty-one artillery guns, and multiple launch rocket systems, twenty-four infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, eight main battle tanks, and two air defense weapons systems damaged or destroyed.  

To be sure, the above figures come from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. But they are corroborated to a large degree, especially when it comes to manpower losses, by Western militaries and intelligence services.  

What Really Matters  

The Russian forces might lose thousands of troops every day, but does that matter? It does to the Russian families that lose their husbands and sons but it shouldn’t matter to Ukraine and its Western supporters. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Kremlin advisers have made a conscious decision to just throw men into the problem regardless of the casualty figures. What Ukraine and its Western partners need to do is to ensure that the Ukrainian forces have the appropriate means to win on the battlefield, even if that means raising the Russian casualty numbers to figures even higher than the current. 

But it also means going after the logistical functions that enable the Russian forces to fight in the first place. Taking out ammunition depots, command and control centers, air defense batteries, infrastructural networks, and other essential logistical targets.  

The first step toward that direction was made this week when various nations gave the Ukrainian military the green light to use long-range weapon systems, such as the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG air-launched cruise missiles, against targets inside Russia. Now, Ukraine needs a steady supply of these and similar munitions to ensure that it can destroy the hundreds of logistical targets inside Russia that support the illegal invasion of Ukraine.   

About the Author: 

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.

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