High attrition in October
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported that Russia’s combat losses reached 54,400 soldiers in October 2026, which is 8,170 more than the losses recorded during the previous month. This total includes soldiers who were killed, wounded, or missing in action. I find the scale of these figures problematic for Moscow because the General Staff stated the high rate exceeds the enemy’s ability to replenish its units. The 1st Azov Corps, a part of the National Guard, estimated that its operations in the direction of Dobropillia in Donetsk Oblast killed, wounded, or captured over 6,800 Russian troops in "one of the key axes of the Russian offensive." Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, wrote on social media that his forces hit a Russian soldier every 159 seconds in October and averaged 542 casualties daily. The General Staff said that every month of the war is costing the Russian army more and more.
Mobilization and casualty ratios
Since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, Russia has lost 1,590,270 troops in Ukraine. Moscow announced plans to conscript 120,000 people on October 2. In August, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia plans to mobilize around 300,000 people after its September election is finished. This demand for manpower follows a month where Russian combat losses in Ukraine were greater than in any other month since the 2022 invasion started.
| Loss Category | Estimated Count |
|---|---|
| Russian October 2026 losses | 54,400 |
| Russian total losses since 2022 | 1,590,270 |
| Ukrainian total casualties (2022-2025) | 500,000 – 600,000 |
The Center for Strategic and International Studies reports that Russian casualties significantly surpass Ukraine’s losses, estimating the ratio to be "roughly 2.5:1 or 2:1." A January 2026 report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that Ukraine likely suffered between 500,000 and 600,000 casualties from February 2022 to December 2025, of which between 100,000 and 140,000 are thought to have been killed in action. I find the distinction between these Ukrainian casualty counts and the Russian total of 1,590,270 troops to be the most striking aspect of the current conflict. I find the General Staff’s claim that Ukrainian Defense Forces will continue to inflict losses on the occupiers until the complete cessation of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine to be blunt.
