The Kremlin has dismissed a report suggesting that Russia has experienced the highest number of casualties for any major power in a conflict since World War II amid the ongoing Ukraine war. According to the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, Russia has reportedly suffered 1.2 million casualties, including up to 325,000 troop deaths, between February 2022 and December 2025. The report also forecasts that the total number of soldiers killed, injured, or missing on both sides of the conflict could reach up to a million by spring.
The report indicates that despite assertions of progress in Ukraine, Russia is paying a significant toll for minimal gains, signaling a decline as a major power. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the report on Wednesday, stating that only Russia’s Ministry of Defence is authorized to release information on military losses and that the report cannot be deemed as reliable.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine regularly disclose military loss data, each side aiming to exaggerate the other’s casualties. The most recent statement from the Russian ministry regarding battlefield fatalities dates back to September 2022, reporting just under 6,000 Russian soldier deaths. No updated figures have been provided since then.
The report estimates that Ukraine, with a smaller army and population, has incurred between 500,000 and 600,000 military casualties, including up to 140,000 deaths. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned in a February 2025 interview with NBC that over 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the conflict began.
Based on current trends, combined Russian and Ukrainian casualties could potentially reach 1.8 million. The conflict, initiated by Russia on February 24, 2022, is approaching its fourth year. The statistics presented by the CSIS were compiled using the think-tank’s analysis, data from independent Russian news site Mediazona in collaboration with the BBC, estimates by the British government, and interviews with government officials.
Reports on military losses have reportedly been suppressed in Russian media, according to activists and independent journalists. Mediazona, along with the BBC and volunteers, has identified over 160,000 fallen troops by scouring various sources. Additionally, North Korea deployed troops to Ukraine as part of a strategic partnership with Russia, with South Korea’s intelligence services estimating that at least 600 North Korean soldiers had died by April 2025.
The CSIS report highlights that Russian forces have been advancing slowly since taking the initiative on the battlefield in 2024, despite their numerical superiority. The conflict in Ukraine has evolved into a protracted war of attrition, with analysts noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin seems in no hurry to seek a resolution, despite challenges faced by the army along the approximately 1,000-kilometre front line.
Trilateral negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine, and the United States are scheduled to resume in Abu Dhabi on February 1 to address the Ukrainian conflict. The report indicates that Russian forces have been advancing at a rate of 15 to 70 meters per day in major offensives, which is considered slower than most significant offensives in the past century.
Putin previously stated in his annual news conference that 700,000 Russian troops are engaged in Ukraine, a figure reiterated in 2024 and slightly adjusted to 617,000 in December 2023. Ukrainian officials reported two deaths near Kyiv and multiple injuries in attacks across the country on Wednesday.
In the Bilohorodka area on the outskirts of Kyiv, a man and a woman lost their lives in an overnight attack. Officials from Ukrainian cities such as Odesa, Kryvyi Rih, and the Zaporizhzhia region reported Russian strikes causing injuries and infrastructure damage. The Ukrainian air force reported a Russian attack involving a ballistic missile and 146 drones, with 103 drones intercepted or destroyed through electronic warfare.
Simultaneously, Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed that their air defenses neutralized 75 Ukrainian drones, with a significant number being shot down over different regions. Reports also mention a drone attack on a Russian oil depot in the Voronezh region, resulting in a fire involving oil products.