On January 13, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Russia is sustaining significant personnel losses during its ongoing offensive against Ukraine, estimating that up to 25,000 Russian soldiers are killed each month.
Speaking at the Global Europe conference, Rutte stated that Russia’s casualties are the result of Ukraine’s sustained and effective defensive operations.
NATO’s Rutte:
Let’s not forget that, at the moment, the Russians are losing massive numbers of soldiers due to the Ukrainian defense—the staunch Ukrainian defense.
In a single month, this amounts to 20,000 to 25,000 Russian soldiers killed. I am not talking about those… pic.twitter.com/IGPrnrjYnX
— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 13, 2026
“In a single month, this amounts to 20,000 to 25,000 Russian soldiers killed,” Rutte said. “I am not talking about those seriously wounded, but about those killed—dead—20,000 to 25,000 a month.”
Rutte drew a comparison with the Soviet Union’s war in Afghanistan during the 1980s, noting that approximately 20,000 Soviet troops were killed over the course of a decade-long conflict.
“When you compare that to the Afghan war in the 1980s, where they lost around 20,000 soldiers over ten years, the contrast is stark,” he said. “Now they are losing that number—and more—in just one month. That is clearly unsustainable on their side as well.”
NATO officials have repeatedly warned that Russia’s high casualty rate underscores the intensity of the fighting and the long-term costs of Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
Previously, it was reported that Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure amount to a “mockery” of US-led peace efforts, while Moscow’s use of the Oreshnik missile represents another “dangerous and unclear” escalation of the war.
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