Last year was the second-deadliest year for the Russian military in Ukraine. Russian forces suffered approximately 415,000 casualties in 2025—with very little to show for it on the battlefield.

Last year proved to be catastrophic in terms of casualties for the Russian forces. In 2025, the Russian military, paramilitary units, and pro-Russian separatist forces sustained approximately 415,000 casualties killed and wounded. This is a slight decrease from 2024, the deadliest year of the conflict, when Russian forces sustained approximately 430,000 casualties.

In other words, in the last two years of fighting, the Russian armed forces have lost nearly 900,000 troops—a force almost five times the size of the Kremlin’s total initial invasion force. Most estimates suggest that Russian forces have lost over 1.2 million troops since the initial invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.  

December 2025 was particularly deadly for the Russian forces. According to data provided by the Ukrainian General Staff, the Russian forces took an average of 1,130........

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