STORY
The UK has said Russia is continuing to suffer catastrophic losses in Ukraine for only minimal territorial gains, arguing that the war is becoming increasingly unsustainable for Moscow. In a statement to the OSCE in Vienna, Colonel Joby Rimmer of the UK delegation said evidence based military analysis showed Russia’s human and financial costs were rising sharply while delivering only limited returns on the battlefield.
According to the statement, Russian forces are reported to have sustained about 420,000 casualties in 2025, including up to 200,000 killed, while gaining an estimated 0.8 per cent more Ukrainian territory. The UK also said average monthly Russian casualties in early 2026 remained above 30,000 and that cumulative losses since the start of the full scale invasion were now estimated at roughly 1.3 million.