Ukrainian military losses could range between 60,000 and 100,000 soldiers killed since the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, The Economist reported on 26 November, collecting data from various intelligence sources.
Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, estimates of Ukrainian military casualties have varied significantly. In February, President Zelenskyy spoke about the Ukrainian casualties for the first time, saying that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed during the war. In October 2024, a new US estimate suggested that more than 57,500 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed, with around 250,000 wounded.
The lattest report but The Economist revealed that more than 0.5% of Ukraine’s pre-war male population aged 18-49 has been killed, with the actual percentage likely higher due to incomplete records. Additionally, an estimated 400,000 soldiers may be too severely injured to continue fighting.
“These numbers do not include civilian deaths, on which there is strikingly little data,” accordign to the report, hinting at potentially even more extensive human losses.
The analysis reported that the battle deaths as a share of population exceed those of the Vietnam and Korean wars combined.
After nearly three years of fighting, morale on both sides is reportedly plummeting, the report says.
The publication relied on multiple sources, including leaked intelligence reports, defense officials’ statements, and open-source intelligence to compile its estimates. A key source of detailed information was UAlosses, a website that meticulously catalogs individual soldier casualties, including names and ages.
Politico reported in November 2024 that Russian military losses could be around 70,000 killed in just the preceding months of May and June alone, indicating an acceleration in casualties during intense fighting periods.
In July, The Economist reported that between 462,000 and 728,000 Russian soldiers had been killed, injured or captured by mid-June, citing documents by the US Department of Defense.
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, as of 27 November 2024, more than 735,000 Russian personnel have died.
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