Story by Chris Hughes
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war has almost notched up 1.5 million casualties in more than four years since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The bloody milestone is looming after a staggering 1,488, 200 of Putin’s troops have been lost to death or injury on the Ukraine frontline – 1,600 in the past 24 hours. At the current attrition rate, it means Putin’s forces could reach 1,500,000 dead or injured within just one more week of fighting. That is the equivalent of wiping out almost the entire population of Lancashire’s 1.6 million population.
These appalling losses by Kremlin war chiefs were revealed as spokesman Smitry Peskov dismissed the chances of a peace meeting between Washington, Kyiv and Moscow. And it also follows reports Putin fears the war could cost him his life with the Kremlin chief preparing to send another 400,000 troops to the frontline.
It is believed the average Russian recruit last less than one hour on the frontline after being forced to fight in ferocious battles against Kyiv’s troops. Latest estimates by Ukrainian intelligence suggest Russia has also lost 12,316 tanks, 25,255 armored combat vehicles, 440 warplanes, 354 helicopters, 35 ships and two submarines.
Ukraine’s General Staff has not revealed its own losses during the full-scale invasion, citing operational secrecy. Russian casualties are greater than those of Ukraine, which keeps its losses a secret for operational reasons – but it is believed to be roughly a ratio of 2.5 – 1.
Smoke rises over Kyiv after Russian attacks© AFP via Getty Images
In January, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies said Ukraine may have lost between 500,000 and 600,000 casualties – up to 140,000 killed in action. Peskov confirmed Putin is unlikely to accept a meeting with US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky.
He said it would only happen if it were to sign a definitive document to end the war – and not to discuss how it ends. He said : “You know the position of our head of state well: such a meeting is possible only to fix agreements.” Peskov’s comments came after reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe proposed a trilateral summit during a secret Aug. 25 visit to Moscow. A new mobilisation in Russia could happen because a decree signed by Putin in September 2022 remains in force.
It allows the Kremlin to recruit additional troops without issuing a new nationwide order, according to the report. Sources told the Economist Putin believes ending the war without capturing at least all of Donbas could threaten his survival. According to the source he told close aides: “They will hang me.” It is also possible Ukraine’s allies such as the UK could be targeted by Russia, in particular any drone or other weapons factories linked to support for Kyiv.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky© UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/AFP via Getty Images
Russia has imposed on Kyiv and its nearby region to five straight days of relentless drone attacks, unleashing hundreds of drones and increasingly deploying faster, jet-powered weapons that are pressurising Ukraine’s air defences.
The barrage has killed at least 38 people in the Kyiv region and forced residents into shelters, closing down businesses. The worst incident happened late on Friday, in Myla, west of Kyiv, where a Russian strike hit a Ukrainian military depot storing ammunition, drones and explosives.
