United Kingdom: 450,000 Russian Military Personnel Have Either Been Killed or Wounded Since War Began

In a recent inquiry, John Healey MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, sought details from the UK’s Ministry of Defence regarding the extent of Russian military personnel and equipment losses in Ukraine since February 2022. The questions were aimed at understanding the scale of Russian casualties, including killed, wounded, and deserted personnel, as well as the destruction of various military assets, according to the UK Defence Journal.

Leo Docherty, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, provided comprehensive figures in his response. According to UK estimates, around 450,000 Russian military personnel have either been killed or wounded since the conflict began. The desertion rates among these troops, as well as those serving in Russian private military companies (PMCs), although significant, remain less precisely quantified.

The toll on Russian military hardware has been severe, with over 10,000 armoured vehicles reported destroyed. This includes nearly 3,000 main battle tanks, 109 fixed-wing aircraft, 136 helicopters, 346 unmanned aerial vehicles, 23 naval vessels, and more than 1,500 artillery systems. These losses underscore the heavy impact of the ongoing conflict on Russian military capabilities.