Russia has lost more than 70,000 troops in the past two months, British military intelligence has announced. Britain’s Ministry of Defense added that heavy losses are likely to continue as Russia seeks to gain on the front lines in Ukraine.
“Daily average Russian casualties killed and wounded in Ukraine during May and June 2024 rose to peak conflict levels of 1,262 and 1,163 respectively,” the Ministry of Defense wrote.
“In total, Russia is likely to lose over 70,000 personnel over the past two months,” she added.
A senior NATO official described the losses as “astronomical” during the NATO summit in Washington, writes the Telegraph.
“Russia is likely to suffer losses of nearly 1,000 people per day,” the official said.
“An effective Ukrainian defense and the lack of Russian training reduces Russia’s ability to extend and exploit any tactical success, despite the effort to extend the front line further,” the British Ministry of Defense continued.
The update added: “Russia’s casualty rate is likely to continue to average over 1,000 per day over the next two months as Russia continues to try to overrun Ukrainian positions with mass.”
Western analysts have reportedly said that Russia’s use of small offensive units has prevented them from making significant gains or exploiting any breakthroughs in Ukraine’s defensive lines.
Moscow’s forces repeatedly attacked with 10 to 15 infantry troops to avoid heavy losses.
“These tactics may bring incremental benefits, but they are not adequate to achieve significant operational breakthroughs. Larger attacks have proven costly for Russian forces, which cannot afford sustained losses of first-of-its-kind equipment,” said Michael Kofman, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment.
After a recent field trip, Kofman said Ukraine faces difficult months ahead, despite the improving situation on the battlefield. He said: “Ukraine faces difficult months of fighting ahead, but the situation on the front is better than it was this spring.”
