Between 70,000 and 80,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in Ukraine since the invasion began in late February, according to a top U.S. Department of Defense official.
The new projection, which Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Dr. Colin Kahl provided to reporters during a Monday afternoon briefing, provides new insights into the war of attrition in Ukraine from the Pentagon, which has repeatedly declined to offer such details throughout the conflict.
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“It’s safe to suggest the Russians have probably taken 70,000-80,000 casualties in less than six months,” he explained. “That’s a combination of killed in action and wounded in action. That number might be a little lower, a little higher, but that’s kind of in the ballpark, which is pretty remarkable.”
Kahl said it was difficult to predict exactly how long Russia would be able to maintain its war efforts while sustaining its current casualty rate.
“It’s an interesting question and not one I can answer with a high degree of certainty. Obviously, Russia’s a very large country. Now, you know, a lot of it would depend, I think, on the political decisions that Vladimir Putin will make ultimately about whether he can continue to recruit and send additional forces to the front, whether he was at some point, you know, willing to engage in national mobilization or some other effort,” he explained.
“[Putin’s] tried to describe this all-out invasion as a special military operation and has thus far been hesitant to mobilize his entire country toward the effort,” Kahl continued. “So I don’t know and a lot depends on, ultimately, decisions that they will make.”
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Shortly before Kahl took the podium in the Pentagon briefing room, the Department of Defense announced $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine. This aid, which was done through a presidential drawdown order, will come from the United States’s own military stockpiles, and it’s the 18th such package the U.S. has provided since Russia invaded in February. The U.S. military aid has totaled more than $9 billion since then.
