NATO Secretary General Voices Russia's Shocking Losses In Ukraine

• 22.01.2026, 10:35

They have increased dramatically.

Russian casualties in the war against Ukraine rose sharply late last year, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte declared. "In December, the Russians lost a thousand people killed - not seriously wounded, but specifically killed - every day. That's more than 30,000 for December," Rutte said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He recalled that the USSR lost only about 20 thousand during the 10-year war in Afghanistan. However, high losses do not stop the Russian army, and it continues to advance, Rutte emphasized, calling for increased support for Ukraine.

Before that, speaking at the conference "Global Europe", the head of NATO said that Russia loses every month in Ukraine from 20 thousand to 25 thousand killed. Based on this, the irrecoverable losses of the Russian army in 2025 could be from 240 thousand to 300 thousand people. According to NATO estimates, Russia's cumulative losses in the course of the "SWO", which has been going on for almost four years and has already exceeded the duration of the Great Patriotic War, amounted to 1.15 million people as of December 2025. Among those who were wounded, about 400,000 became disabled, which is comparable to the population of Bryansk or Tver.