London: Russia has lost more than 70,000 troops in the past two months, British military intelligence said on Friday. The update by the minister of defense added that the heavy losses would likely continue as Russia looked to make gains across the front lines in Ukraine. “The average daily Russian casualties (killed and wounded) in Ukraine throughout May and June 2024 increased to conflict highs of 1,262 and 1,163, respectively,” the minister wrote.
“In total, Russia likely lost (killed and wounded) in excess of 70,000 personnel over the past two months.”
Russia has made grinding gains in eastern Ukraine over the past months as Kyiv’s armed forces try to overcome crippling shortages in manpower and ammunition. Moscow launched a new front in May with a cross-border offensive into Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.
A senior Nato official described the losses as “astronomical” during a briefing on the fringes of the alliance’s summit in Washington, DC, this week. “Russia likely suffered losses of almost 1,000 people a day in May, which is quite an astronomical figure,” the source said. Though the offensive was short-lived, it stretched Ukrainian resources, enabling Russia to make further gains on their priority target of the nearby Donetsk region.
However, it stretched the Russian research sources, also said the ministry. “The uptick in losses reflects Russia’s opening of the new front in the Kharkiv region while maintaining the same rate of offensive operations along the remainder of the front,” the update said.
“Although this new approach has increased the pressure on the front line, an effective Ukrainian defense and a lack of Russian training reduce its ability to stretch and exploit any tactical successes despite attempting to stretch the front line further.” The update added: “Russia’s casualty rate will likely continue to average above 1,000 a day over the next two months as Russia continues to try to overcome Ukraine’s positions with mass.”