The death toll for Russian troops in the ongoing Ukraine conflict may have surged to as high as 250,000, according to a report from Britain’s Ministry of Defense.
The report estimates that the Russian Armed Forces have sustained approximately 900,000 casualties—both killed and wounded—since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.
Of these, it is believed that between 200,000 and 250,000 Russian soldiers have died, marking the largest loss of life for Russia’s military since the Second World War.
It claimed that President Vladimir Putin and senior military officials are likely prepared to tolerate high levels of casualties, provided that these losses do not diminish public support for the war and that they can be replaced.
Additionally, the report suggested the disproportionate burden carried by ethnic minority Russian citizens from impoverished regions, with recruitment efforts focused heavily on these areas.
The report asserts that Slavic Russians from urban centers, such as Moscow and St. Petersburg, have contributed far fewer soldiers to the front lines compared to their poorer, ethnic minority compatriots from rural and remote parts of Russia.