Russia has lost almost 90 per cent of its army to death or injury since the war in Ukraine began, according to US intelligence.
A report from US intelligence revealed that two-thirds of its tank force have also been destroyed, alongside 315,000 of Putin’s soldiers who have been taken out of action since Moscow invaded Kyiv in February 2022.
The intelligence assessment calculated that Russia’s military modernisation had been set back by 18 years due to the conflict.
Pre-invasion, Russia had a force of 360,000 soldiers and 3,500 tanks.
Russia has suffered the loss of hundreds of thousands of soldiers during the warREUTERSSince February 2022, 315,000 troops and 2,200 tanks have been taken out of action.
These losses are the reason Moscow has relaxed recruitment standards for deployment in Ukraine, the source said to congress.
“The scale of losses has forced Russia to take extraordinary measures to sustain its ability to fight. Russia declared a partial mobilisation of 300,000 personnel in late 2022, and has relaxed standards to allow recruitment of convicts and older civilians,” the assessment said, according to the source.
However, the US report does not state whether the casualties include forces sent into Ukraine at a later date.
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Putin recently lost 3,000 soldiers in just three
GettyPutin has not commented on the reported losses. It last issued its number of fatalities in September 2022, where the figure stood at 5,937.
Western and Ukrainian intelligence stated that they believed the number to be far higher than what Russia claimed it to be.
Speaking at his annual press conference today, Putin said Russia currently has a total of 617,000 troops fighting in battle zones in Ukraine.
He said that “the flow is not diminishing”, stating that there was no need for further mobilisation of army reservists.
Drone footage by Ukrainian military channels showed shells blasting through Russian border posts and fighting vehiclesReuters/ Liberty of Russia Legion Press Service“There will be peace when we achieve our goals,” Putin told his annual press conference, adding that 486,000 had signed up as contract soldiers, on top of the 300,000 signed up the year previously.
Kyiv has not disclosed their death toll, stating that revealing the number could harm its war effort.
The real figure was likely higher, they added, noting that many of the 15,000 troops listed as missing were likely dead.
In April, a leaked US Defence Intelligence Agency assessment estimated that 15,500 to 17,500 Ukrainians had lost their lives.
The assessment also calculated that Kyiv had suffered 124,500 to 131,000 casualties.