UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated that over the past two months Russia has suffered more losses on the front than it has been able to compensate with new contract soldiers. He said this on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, citing data from the Ukrainian side.
Source: Bukvy
According to Healey, due to a shortage of manpower, the Russian army is increasingly recruiting foreign fighters from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Cuba, Nigeria, and Senegal, often recruited under false pretenses and forcibly sent to the front line in Ukraine. He also estimated the number of North Korean troops fighting on Russia’s side at around 17,000.
Ukraine, according to representatives in Kyiv, plans to increase Russia’s losses to 50,000 per month by summer, which would make it difficult for the Kremlin to replenish the army without a new large-scale mobilization. The previous conscription of 300,000 reservists in 2022 triggered a mass exodus of citizens and growing dissatisfaction within Russia.
According to Bloomberg, in January Russia lost approximately 9,000 more soldiers than it was able to replace, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky estimates the number of killed at 30,000 during the same period. Zelensky noted that current losses do not yet force Putin to worry, but there is a threshold beyond which the Kremlin will react.
Russian authorities do not officially disclose casualty figures, but some military bloggers confirm significant losses due to orders to assault fortified positions. According to estimates by Western officials, Russia lost about 415,000 soldiers (killed and wounded) last year, and more than 1.2 million in total since the start of the war. Improved effectiveness of Ukrainian drones has significantly increased enemy losses.
Western experts note that Russia is still capable of continuing the war in 2026 thanks to replenishment, weapons production, and support from other states, including China.
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