Vladimir Putin has suffered a fresh blow as Russia reportedly suffers its worst casualty rate in Ukraine this year. Experts say that figures from July suggest Moscow is "paying an increasingly high price for no significant increase in the rate of advance," despite a "cognitive warfare effort" from the Kremlin to "deny this fact."
The Ukrainian General Staff reported yesterday that Russian forces suffered 42,860 casualties, which would be a new monthly high since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, the Institute for the Study of Warfare (ISW) reported.
Casualties steadily increasing
Ukrainian data indicates that Russian casualties have been "steadily increasing" since February, when Moscow sustained 26,090 casualties that month.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 31 that Russian forces have suffered almost 700,000 deaths and around 1.6 million total casualties overall.
The Ukrainian General Staff's casualty rates indicate that Russia sustained an average of 353 casualties per square kilometre of territory seized or infiltrated in July 2026, and 1,132 casualties per square kilometre seized.
Kremlin accused of disguising slow advance
The ISW reported that Putin is "desperately attempting to disguise" Russia's slow rate of advance via "exaggerated claims of advance."
Experts added: "Russian forces have advanced, infiltrated, or claimed to have advanced in 18.49 square kilometers per day in July 2026."
"The Kremlin and senior Russian military command have leaned into their cognitive warfare campaign, attempting to falsely show that Russian forces are advancing in all sectors of the front, that Ukrainian lines are collapsing, and that the West should abandon Ukraine as a hopeless cause."
TASS claims called exaggerated
The ISW called claims from Russian newswire TASS on July 31 about the number of settlements that the country's forces allegedly seized in July "exaggerated."
It added: "This Russian informational effort also likely aims to convince Russians that the sacrifices they are making for the war, including the staggering casualty rates, economic burden, Ukrainian strikes in Russia, and Kremlin censorship measures, are worth it."
"But even the Kremlin's most extensive claims do not have Russian forces advancing faster than footpace, a rate of advance far slower than the Kremlin would need to collapse Ukrainian lines and rapidly seize the areas Moscow reportedly aims to capture by the end of 2026."
