Russia’s army suffers massive losses in the war against Ukraine. The number of fallen soldiers is increasing every day. Experts see Putin on the defensive.
Russian soldiers during a military parade. – Uncredited/AP
Russia’s army continues to record heavy losses in the war against Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, over 735,410 Russian soldiers were said to have been killed or wounded by the end of August 2024.
Accordingly, 1,580 more Russian soldiers were killed or seriously wounded in Ukraine in the last 24 hours. However, these numbers cannot be independently verified.
Putin is having increasing problems finding new soldiers for deployment in Ukraine. – keystone
Western secret services also estimate Russian losses to be high. In June 2024, US Secretary of State Lloyd Austin spoke of around 350,000 Russian soldiers killed or seriously wounded.
Age structure of the fallen in Ukraine
According to media reports, the age structure of the fallen Russian soldiers has changed significantly. “Tagesspiegel” reports, citing BBC and “Mediazona”:
“Accordingly, the Russian soldiers killed in 2024 were on average 38 years old. In the first months of the war, the average age of the victims was 21 years old.
This indicates a shortage of young recruits in the Russian army. Apparently more and more older soldiers are having to go to the front.
In addition to the personnel losses in Ukraine, Russia has also suffered serious losses in military equipment. According to Ukraine, over 8,500 tanks and 14,134 drones have been destroyed since the start of the war.
Russian soldiers shell the city of Kherson. (Archive image) – Uncredited/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service/AP/dpa
The Institute for War Studies in Washington analyzed the situation at the front. His representative George Barros said according to “Tagesspiegel”:
“Since the beginning of the year, the Russian army has only advanced almost 40 kilometers in eastern Ukraine, and at high cost in terms of soldiers and material.”
President Putin only provides vague information about the actual losses. In June 2024, he claimed that the ratio of losses was one to five in Russia’s favor.
However, experts doubt this representation. The actual losses are likely to be significantly higher, as Western estimates suggest.
Despite this, Russia is sticking to its offensive. There is heavy fighting, particularly around the city of Avdiivka.
