Data shared by the Ukrainian authorities suggests that Russian forces have lost more than 24,000 troops in the space of three weeks.
According to an index sourced from Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Moscow has lost 24,090 military personnel so far in October. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said on Sunday that 1,340 were lost in the last day, which, if accurate, would bring Russia’s total loss of troops since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine to 678,520.
While Ukrainian authorities frequently publish updates on Russian losses, Moscow does not publicize its military losses. Newsweek contacted the Ukrainian military and the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email on Sunday.
Death toll estimates are extremely difficult to verify, with figures from both sides, as well as independent research, suggesting varying figures.
Russian artillery systems losses hit record highs in July and August, according to Ukrainian figures. In July, Moscow lost 1,520 artillery systems, followed by 1,517 in August. Last month, 1,219 were reportedly destroyed.
On Wednesday, Newsweek reported that more than $8-billion-worth of Russian artillery has been destroyed in 2024, according to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
In a series of posts on the ministry’s official X (formerly Twitter) page, it reported that 10,373 Russian artillery systems had been destroyed this year, which was “equivalent to the destruction of 144 artillery brigades.”
“One of the most significant days of losses for Russian forces occurred on September 22, when Ukrainian forces neutralized 81 artillery systems in a single day,” the ministry added.
This period also saw some of the highest losses of Russian military personnel, with 35,680 in July, 36,810 in August and 38,130 in September.
On Friday, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense shared data claiming that Russia suffered its second-highest single-day loss of military personnel.
Citing reports from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the ministry reported Moscow lost 1,530 personnel on Friday, which would be the second-highest number of men lost in one day since the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
Russian tank and vehicle losses also passed grim milestones recently, with Ukraine’s military on Thursday claiming that Moscow had now lost a total of 9,014 tanks and 18,002 armored fighting vehicles.
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance, drawing on calculations provided by Forbes Ukraine, the total cost of equipment lost by Russia in Ukraine is now more than $73 billion.
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