NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said that Russia is suffering more than 40,000 military casualties every month in its war against Ukraine, with preliminary figures suggesting that losses may have exceeded 50,000 in October alone.
Speaking at the Atlantic Future Forum on November 11, Rutte compared Russia’s monthly casualties with American military losses during the 14-year Vietnam War.
“The United States lost 56,000 soldiers over 14 years in Vietnam. Here, Russia loses 40,000 killed or severely wounded in a single month. Preliminary figures for October indicate that this number may have exceeded 50,000. Fifty thousand in one month,” Rutte said.
The NATO chief argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin is failing on the battlefield and accused Moscow of attempting to undermine Ukraine’s determination to continue fighting by targeting civilians and critical infrastructure.
He said Russian forces have intensified missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian cities, seeking to damage essential infrastructure ahead of the winter season.
Rutte also warned of increasing hostile activities attributed to Russia across European countries, including arson attacks, drone incidents and cyberattacks.
“Putin is trying to divide us, destabilize our societies and undermine our support for Ukraine through arson, drone incidents, cyberattacks and other malicious activities. But we must be clear: he is failing. For every Russian hybrid attack against our countries, we are providing more support to Ukraine,” Rutte stated.
His remarks come as NATO continues to emphasize the importance of maintaining military and political support for Ukraine amid Russia’s ongoing invasion.
