Mark Rutte stated on Tuesday that Russia is losing between 20,000 and 25,000 troops each month in its war against Ukraine as the conflict drags on into a fourth year.
Rutte told the Renew Europe Global Europe Forum in Brussels that the staggering casualty figures reflect the intensity of Ukraine’s defense efforts but warned that Russia remains NATO’s most significant long-term threat.
He highlighted Moscow’s round-the-clock weapons production and a pattern of aggressive behavior that, he noted, shows no signs of easing.
“Let’s not forget that the Russians are currently suffering massive losses of their soldiers,” the NATO chief said.
“Over a month, this amounts to 20,000 to 25,000 Russian deaths. I’m not talking about the seriously wounded—this is fatalities. Dead. Twenty to 25,000 each month,” Rutte told attendees. “Comparing this to the Afghan war of the 1980s, they lost 20,000 troops over 10 years. Now, they’re losing these numbers—even more—in a single month. So, this is also unsustainable for their side.”
from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based defense and national security think tank, found that Russia has incurred extraordinarily high casualties while making only marginal territorial gains in Ukraine.
Since January 2024, Russian forces have seized roughly 5,000 square kilometers—less than 1% of Ukraine’s territory—while total have climbed to 1 million, including up to 250,000 killed, according to the analysis.
Moscow has continued striking Kyiv with missiles and drones as Washington works to secure a potential peace agreement to end the conflict.
Repeated Russian strikes on Ukraine in recent weeks have left hundreds of thousands and heating as temperatures plunge below freezing.
Ukrainian President said Wednesday that Russia struck the Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv and Kherson regions, targeting its energy sites and critical infrastructure.
U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Tammy Bruce condemned previous Russian strikes during an emergency Security Council meeting in New York Monday as a “dangerous and inexplicable escalation.”