Russia lost half a million troops in Ukraine, Kyiv says
- 26 May, 09:55
Russia’s losses in its war of aggression in Ukraine have exceeded 500,000. According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as of May 25, Russia lost 500,080 servicemen in the full-fledged war that started in February 2020. Some 1,140 of these soldiers were killed in the past day, according to the post in the General Staff’s official Facebook page.
This staggering number resonates with an estimate voiced by France and the United Kingdom in early May. French Foreign Minister Stéphane Sejourne said on May 3 that Russia lost 500,000 military personnel in the war against Ukraine.
Ukraine has also inflicted heavy losses on the Russian army in terms military hardware and infrastructure. According to the General Staff, Ukrainian Armed Forces have destroyed 7,650 tanks, 14,786 armored combat vehicles, 12,929 artillery systems, 1,082 MLRS, 814 air defense systems, 356 aircraft, 326 helicopters, 10,414 UAVs, 2,209 cruise missiles, 27 ships and boats, one submarine, 17,608 motor vehicles and tankers, 2,104 special equipment belonging to the Russian army in the 27-month-long war of invasion. According to the Spokesman for the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Andriy Kovalev, Russian losses consist of two main indicators: irrecoverable losses and combat sanitary losses. Nazar Voloshyn, spokesman for the Khortytsia Operational and Strategic Troops Group, said on April 25 that 85% of Russian losses occurred in the eastern sector, affecting both personnel and equipment.
Russia has not revealed the number of its losses in the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in February that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed during the war with Russia.
