US Believes 20K Russians Killed Fighting in Ukraine Since December
Russia is estimated to have suffered at least 100K casualties, including 20K killed, in only five months of fighting since December, the White House said on Monday.
Facts
- Russia is estimated to have suffered at least 100K casualties, including 20K killed, in only five months of fighting since December, the White House said on Monday.1
- John Kirby, the White House National Security Council spokesman, told reporters the estimate is based on newly-declassified American intelligence. He did not detail how the figures were derived and they cannot be independently confirmed.1
- Last month, leaked Pentagon documents dating to February put Russian losses at between 189.5K and 223K casualties, with 35.5K to 43K killed in action since the beginning of the war.2
- Meanwhile, last week, officials who spoke to Reuters said that while Russian losses remained high, they were fewer in recent months with Russia tightening the scope of its operations and focusing on the eastern Donetsk city of Bakhmut.3
- In Monday's briefing, Kirby said the latest figures put out by the White House showed that Russia had an unsuccessful winter campaign. "The bottom line is that Russia’s attempted offensive has backfired after months of fighting and extraordinary losses," he said, adding that Russia had been "unable to seize any strategically significant territory" despite its efforts.4
- Kirby further added that roughly half of those killed came from Wagner PMC, the Russian mercenary group leading Russia's charge in Bakhmut.4
Sources: 1Associated Press, 2BBC News, 3Reuters, and 4Al Jazeera.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Guardian. The White House estimates show that Russia has had a devastating few months of fighting — an acceleration from the beginning of the war and more losses than some of the bloodiest battles of World War II. Russia is on the back foot as Ukraine's counteroffensive approaches.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by UnHerd. If the numbers are to be trusted, the Russia-Ukraine war would be one of the bloodiest in modern history. The problem is that all parties have an interest in minimizing their losses while exaggerating those of their enemies. Getting accurate casualty data is fraught with difficulties and these numbers should not be accepted blindly.
