Although a true accounting of the number of casualties suffered by both the Russians and the Ukrainians is difficult to decern given that Kyiv refuses to publish such figures and Western observers consider those disclosed by Moscow to be downplayed, U.S. defence sources have claimed that the total for both sides is around 500,000.

According to a report from the New York Times this week, citing unnamed American government officials, Russia has suffered nearly 300,000 casualties since it embarked upon what it dubbs its “special military operation” in Ukraine last year. Of these, some 120,000 Russians are believed to have been killed and another 170,000-180,000 have been injured on the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the U.S. officials cited by the paper claimed that Ukraine has seen around 70,000 soldiers killed in action and between 100,000 and 12o,000 injured.

While the estimated casualties for the Russians significantly outweigh those suffered by the Ukrainians, when taken proportionately the script flips, with Ukraine only boasting around 500,000 troops to draw from compared to 1,330,000 active-duty Russian soldiers, representing a nearly three-to-one advantage. Russia also has a much larger population to draw on to replace its killed or injured forces.

The paper noted that the number of military deaths suffered by Ukraine since last February has already surpassed the entire losses of the American military during the twenty years it was active in Vietnam, which stood around 58,000.

The nature of the war has also shifted, with Russia now playing defence in most of the positions along the frontline since the beginning of the much-hyped Ukrainian counteroffensive, a far more advantageous stance compared to the offensive fighting of the initial phases of the invasion. In contrast, Ukraine is now fighting against heavily entrenched Russian forces, who have dug in their positions in the Donbas region and in the southeast of the country…Source – Read More!