Putin's Ukraine war toll tops 1MILLION Russians dead & wounded 40 months into ‘days-long operation'…with no end in sight
PUTIN's battlefield casualties have soared past the bloody one million milestone after 40 months of a war he expected to win within days.
Ukraine's fierce resistance has ensured Russia has paid a mighty toll for every inch of land it has taken, and its advances remain painfully slow.
Advertisement
6
Vladimir Putin has lost at least one million men in his bloody war with Ukraine
Credit: AP
6
According to Ukraine's General Staff, a whopping 628,000 of those deaths took place in the last six months alone
Credit: AP
6
The staggering milestone includes troops who have been killed or wounded so severely they cannot fight on.
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, one million Russian military troops have been killed since February 24, 2022, with 628,000 of those deaths occurring in the last six months.
Burning through a million troops has won Putin just 20 per cent of Ukraine's total territory - mainly in southern and eastern areas - which is a humiliating conversion rate.
Despite the devastating losses which have already ripped a scar in Russian society, experts fear that Putin is likely unaffected by the numbers, because mass sacrifice is ingrained in his battle plan.
Advertisement
Read more on Vladimir Putin
Dr Stephen Hall, politics lecturer at the University of Bath, said that as far as the warmongering dictator is concerned, things are heading in the right direction, so he will keep on condemning young Russians to their deaths.
He told The Sun: "Putin believes he's winning the war. The Russian army is moving forward like it or not.
"He believes that he can outlast the West, that the West is weak."
Russia's strategy, Dr Hall said, has been one of "meat assault".
Advertisement
Most read in The US Sun
This relies on the logic that if you flood the front line with overwhelming numbers, "eventually some will get through".
Dr Hall said Putin has learned this strategy from his ruthless Soviet predecessors in World War Two.
Their idea was "ten men to every rifle", which meant: "You pick up the rifle of a fall soldier. You keep going, you get shot. You're next. Your buddy picks up your rifle.
We know Russia is plotting to invade Nato – Ukraine is just the beginning for Putin, says head of Germany's MI6
"The Soviet army would eventually push through. So that remains the case in Russia."
Advertisement
And that approach suits Putin just fine, because he "doesn't care about his men", Dr Hall said.
He said the Russian people "know how to suffer", which allows the regime to continue with its meat-grinder tactics.
The Kremlin also meets less resistance from the Russian people than a million losses should merit, because it simply lies to them, Dr Hall said.
He said: "They're simply not going to be told, especially in the poorer areas where Russia is recruiting - like Buryatia and Bashkortostan and elsewhere."
Advertisement
Dr Hall also explained why he has little faith in the peace negotiations bringing an end to the war any time soon.
Even if Ukraine makes land concessions, Putin won't feel his goals are fulfilled.
Dr Hall said: 'Putin has been very clear. They're not fighting Ukraine. Ukraine is the battleground. They're fighting the West.'
"Ukraine has been forced to fight a war with two hands tied behind its back — a war that NATO would never fight."
Advertisement
Dr Hall said Putin's hope is that "Ukraine will have to just accept whatever negotiations Russia is going to give [...] because the West is going to tide over this war, and the Russian military is going to keep on going forward."
Even with the death toll climbing higher by the day — over 1,140 Russian soldiers killed or wounded just yesterday, according to Ukraine's military — Putin appears to be doubling down.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Russia's total personnel losses since the invasion began now stand at approximately 1,000,340.
The tally includes not just dead soldiers but those so grievously wounded they can't return to the battlefield.
Advertisement
6
Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, have shown great strength and resilience in the battlefield as they protect their homeland from the Kremlin tyrant's troops
Credit: Getty
6
Putin's men just clenched 20 per cent of Ukraine's total territory
Credit: AFP
6
Ukrainian Army soldiers use a 105mm American M101 Howitzer artillery piece on Ukraines northeastern frontline with Russia
Credit: Getty
The bloody milestone comes as Putin calls for a major upgrade to Russia's ground forces, Ukrainian outlet Pravda reportas.
Advertisement
The Kremlin tyrant declared them the 'dominant force' in modern warfare and demanding faster development of 'advanced weapons systems' with 'the highest tactical and technical specifications.'
In a meeting on the state armaments programme, Putin also directed resources toward strengthening Russia's navy, further signalling his long-term military ambitions.
British volunteer fighter Macer Gifford, who previously fought alongside Ukrainian units, said the million mark is a tragic reminder of just how far off course Russia has veered under Putin.
'It's another grim milestone in a war that's dragged on for too long,' he said.
Advertisement
'It's also a reminder that Vladimir Putin is a tragedy for Russia, as well as Ukraine. A million casualties is a horrifying figure to comprehend.
'There are millions of Russians who have now lost a loved one in Ukraine.
'Millions more have to deal with the physical and emotional injuries of the wounded.
He added: 'Putin once compared himself to Peter the Great, but his legacy is now much closer to Stalin.
Advertisement
'The two men share many of the same delusions and a profound disregard for human life.
'Stalin once said, 'A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.' Since Putin has made no effort to end this war, it's clear he feels the same way.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Ukraine ‘received at least 20 bodies of Russian soldiers in recent exchanges'
Ukraine's president said that Russia repatriated at least 20 of its own dead soldiers in recent exchanges with Ukraine, describing it as a result of Moscow's disorganisation in carrying out large swaps of wounded POWs and remains of troops. Volodymyr Zelensky said that an Israeli citizen was among the dead Ukraine had received in recent exchanges. 'They threw the corpses of their citizens at us. This is their attitude toward war, toward their soldiers. And this is already documented. Sometimes these bodies even have Russian passports,' he said. He said the Russian side insisted the dead were all Ukrainians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP) Journalists were shown a Russian passport and ID belonging to one of the 20 dead Russians. According to the document, the man came from the Moscow region. The exchanges of the dead and wounded soldiers are the only tangible result of direct peace talks in Istanbul. In June, Ukraine and Russia agreed to exchange the bodies of fallen soldiers in a 6,000-for-6,000 format during the second round of negotiations. Ukraine was concerned that the number was too high and that the sides did not have enough time for forensic examinations and checking the identities of the dead. Mr Zelensky said he suspected Russia's plan was to play along with peace talks to appease the US and stave off more sanctions but without ending the war that Russian president Vladimir Putin believes he is winning. He said that because of this, Ukraine would be 'in a really difficult situation' of deciding whether to continue the talks in Istanbul.
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
‘Putin has blood on his hands' blasts MEP as Irish mother seeks answers about son's death in Russian air strike
Liam Cosgrove Today at 06:00 Russian president Vladimir Putin has been accused of having the blood of a Reuters news employee with strong links to the midlands 'on his hands' as his Irish born mother desperately seeks answers over the circumstances which led up to his death. Thirty-eight-year-old Ryan Evans was working as a safety adviser with news agency Reuters when a missile struck the hotel he had been staying in with colleagues in the city of Kramatorsk on August 24 last year.
Irish Independent
6 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Putin says Russia has told Israel there's no evidence Iran wants nuclear weapons
latest | Israeli military says it killed two Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders Alexander Cornwell and James Oliphant ©Reuters Russia has repeatedly told Israel that there is no evidence Iran is aiming to get nuclear weapons, Sky News Arabia on Saturday quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying in an interview. "Russia, as well as the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), has never had any evidence that Iran is preparing to obtain nuclear weapons, as we have repeatedly put the Israeli leadership on notice," Sky News Arabia quoted Putin as saying.
