The Kremlin refutes a report suggesting that Russia has faced the highest number of casualties for a major power in a conflict since World War II amid the ongoing Ukraine war. According to a recent report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., Russia has reportedly experienced 1.2 million casualties, including up to 325,000 troop fatalities, from February 2022 to December 2025. The report also predicts that the combined military losses on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict could reach million by spring.
Despite assertions of progress in Ukraine, the data indicates that Russia is enduring significant losses for marginal territorial gains, signaling a decline in its global influence. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed the report on Wednesday, stating that only Russia’s Ministry of Defence is authorized to disclose military casualty information.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have been reluctant to provide real-time figures on military losses, each aiming to amplify the other’s casualties. The Russian Ministry of Defence last reported battlefield deaths in September 2022, citing nearly 6,000 Russian soldiers killed, with no updated data released since then. The Ukrainian government has not commented on the recent report, which estimates Ukraine’s military casualties to be between 500,000 and 600,000, including up to 140,000 fatalities.
In a February 2025 interview with NBC, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed that over 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers had lost their lives since the conflict began. The report projects that total casualties from both Russian and Ukrainian forces could reach as high as 1.8 million at the current rates. The war, initiated by Russia on February 24, 2022, is nearing its fourth year.
The figures presented by the CSIS were compiled through the organization’s analysis, data from independent Russian news site Mediazona in collaboration with the BBC, estimates from the British government, and interviews with state officials. Reports on military losses have been suppressed in Russian media, with activists and independent journalists working to collate information on casualties.
Trilateral negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine, and the United States are set to resume in Abu Dhabi on February 1 to seek a resolution to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The CSIS report highlights that Russian forces have been advancing slowly, with an average daily progress of 15 to 70 meters in major offensives, marking one of the slowest advances in recent military history.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his recent news conference, reiterated that 700,000 Russian troops are engaged in the conflict, a figure consistent with previous years. Ukrainian officials reported two fatalities near Kyiv and multiple injuries in attacks across the country. The clashes have also impacted regions like Odesa, Kryvyi Rih, and Zaporizhzhia, with reports of damage to infrastructure and casualties on both sides.