- Around 15,000 Russian soldiers have died in the invasion of Ukraine, according to the British Defense Secretary.
- Roughly the same number of Soviet soldiers died in Afghanistan during the nine-year war.
- At least 2,665 civilians have been killed in Ukraine so far, according to the United Nations OHCHR.
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In nearly nine weeks, Russia lost as many troops in its invasion of Ukraine as it had in the nine years of the Soviet war in Afghanistan.
“We estimate that around 15,000 Russian personnel were killed during their offensive,” British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in a statement released by the British Embassy in Washington on Monday. He also estimated that about a quarter of the battalion’s tactical groups were “non-combat effective”.
The Soviet war in Afghanistan lasted from 1979 to 1989. Many scholars attributed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 in part to military failures in the war. About 14,500 Soviet soldiers died then — along with 90,000 mujahideen soldiers, 18,000 Afghan soldiers and about a million civilians, The Atlantic reported in 2014.
Wallace similarly pointed to a “failure of leadership and control of the Russian Defense Ministry at all levels.”
He also highlighted Russia’s equipment losses, including the warship Moskva, which sank on April 14 after a Ukrainian missile attack.
“Russia admitted last week that the Slava-class cruiser Moskva has sunk – the second major naval asset they have lost since the invasion – which has severely weakened their ability to bring their naval assets to bear from the Black Sea ‘ he said in his remarks. delivered to the Lower House on Ukraine.
“Russia has so far failed in almost every one of its goals,” he added.
At least 2,665 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Vladimir Putin launched war on Ukraine on February 24, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Monday, saying the real number is likely much higher.
The British Defense Secretary also estimated that more than 2,000 Russian armored vehicles were destroyed or seized, including “at least 530 tanks, 530 armored personnel carriers and 560 infantry fighting vehicles”. They estimate the country has also lost at least 60 helicopters and fighter jets.
Wallace said Ukraine had endured “indiscriminate bombing, war crimes and overwhelming military aggression.”
“But they stood firm, mobilized the international community and pushed back the Russian army in the north and northeast,” he added.