Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has cost Vladimir Putin nearly 1.5 million troops dead or injured, with the milestone expected within a week at current attrition rates. The figure of 1,488,200 casualties, including 1,600 in the past 24 hours, is equivalent to almost wiping out the entire population of Lancashire, which stands at 1.6 million.
Kremlin dismisses peace talks
The losses were revealed as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the chances of a peace meeting between Washington, Kyiv and Moscow. He said such a meeting would only happen if it were to sign a definitive document to end the war, and not to discuss how it ends. “You know the position of our head of state well: such a meeting is possible only to fix agreements,” he said.
Peskov's comments came after reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe proposed a trilateral summit during a secret visit to Moscow on Aug. 25. Reports also suggest Putin fears the war could cost him his life, with the Kremlin chief preparing to send another 400,000 troops to the frontline.
Russian losses and equipment destroyed
It is believed the average Russian recruit lasts less than one hour on the frontline after being forced to fight against Kyiv's troops. Latest estimates by Ukrainian intelligence suggest Russia has also lost 12,316 tanks, 25,255 armored combat vehicles, 440 warplanes, 354 helicopters, 35 ships and two submarines.
Ukraine's General Staff has not revealed its own losses during the full-scale invasion, citing operational secrecy. Russian casualties are believed to be roughly 2.5 times greater than Ukraine's, which keeps its losses secret for operational reasons. In January, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies said Ukraine may have lost between 500,000 and 600,000 casualties, up to 140,000 killed in action.
Mobilisation and drone attacks
A new mobilisation in Russia could happen because a decree signed by Putin in September 2022 remains in force. It allows the Kremlin to recruit additional troops without issuing a new nationwide order, according to the report. Sources told the Economist that Putin believes ending the war without capturing at least all of Donbas could threaten his survival, telling close aides: “They will hang me.”
Russia has imposed on Kyiv and its nearby region five straight days of relentless drone attacks, unleashing hundreds of drones and increasingly deploying faster, jet-powered weapons that are pressurising Ukraine's air defences. The barrage has killed at least 38 people in the Kyiv region and forced residents into shelters, closing down businesses. The worst incident happened late on Friday, in Myla, west of Kyiv, where a Russian strike hit a Ukrainian military depot storing ammunition, drones and explosives.
