Ukrainian troops have suffered at least 100,000 casualties over the past year, but good medical care means that a far smaller proportion of them have died compared to the 200,000 killed or wounded that Russia has suffered in the war, according to western estimates.
War casualties are notoriously difficult to estimate, and both Moscow and Kyiv has been reluctant to disclose their wartime losses. But in January, Norway’s chief of defence General Eirik Kristoffersen claimed that Russia had suffered 180,000 killed or wounded compared to Ukraine’s 100,000.
Last week, Britain’s defence ministry said that it similarly estimated Russia’s losses at between 175,000 and 200,000, of which approximately 40,000 to 60,000 troops had been killed.
“We can’t escape the fact that Ukrainians have been taking casualties at a level which would be unsustainable for many countries,” a western official said. “But [Ukraine’s] deaths to wounded ratio is significantly lower than for the Russians, which is about three wounded to one dead. The Ukrainian figure is about between 10 or 20 [wounded] to one [killed].”
The official added that effective medical support meant that many wounded Ukrainian soldiers had recovered and been able to return to the front line or to join reserve forces.
The last public US estimate of casualties was last November when General Mark Milley said more than 100,000 troops on each side had been killed or wounded since the war began. This month, US officials said they believe the Russian number is now closer to 200,000, including Wagner Group mercenaries, the New York Times reported.
