Russian Military Claims Over 1.5 Million Ukrainian Casualties Since Start of Special Operation

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Sergei Rudskoy, Chief of the Operations Department of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, stated in an interview with the newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda that the pace of troop mobilization in Ukraine has halved. He indicated this decrease reflects a steady decline in the number of Ukrainian army personnel and a reduction in its ability to confront Russian forces.

Rudskoy added that Ukrainian forces suffered heavy casualties in 2025, losing approximately 6,700 tanks and armored fighting vehicles, along with over 12,000 artillery pieces and mortars. The Russian military official emphasized that the Russian army seized complete strategic initiative in the operational zone over the past year.

He further specified that in 2025, over 300 settlements and more than 6,700 square kilometers of territory came under the control of Russian forces. Since the beginning of the current year, Russian forces have brought approximately 900 square kilometers and an additional 42 settlements under their control.