More than two years on, the war in Ukraine has been brutal and costly for both sides, particularly for invading Russian forces.
The UK Defense Ministry said on April 27, 2024, that it estimated 450,000 Russian troops had been killed or wounded since the start of the conflict.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine have ever confirmed the numbers of their losses.
Reports claimed Russia was hemorrhaging men and weapons in its attempts to capture Avdiivka, a strategic town in eastern Ukraine and a gateway to Russia-occupied Ukraine. The town fell to Russian occupation in February.
Now fighting wages on in the surrounding areas such as Chasiv Yar. Russia continues to have the upper hand, but Ukraine is holding out hope that newly approved US aid will reach its front lines sooner rather than later.
Despite high Russian losses, the country’s population is about three times the size of Ukraine’s — a large pool from which Russia could keep replenishing its ranks. In April, Zelenskyy claimed Russia was preparing to mobilize a further 300,000 troops by June, though the Kremlin denied this.
Russians typically outnumber Ukrainians on the battlefield by a ratio of almost three to one, The New York Times reported, but Ukraine has used weapons such as the US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, and Western cruise missiles to inflict high casualties on Russian troops.
These are believed to be some of the deadliest single moments for Russia in the conflict so far.
