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Russian forces have suffered the heaviest battlefield losses the world has seen since the Second World War during its invasion of Ukraine, a new study shows.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies says the war has resulted in about 1.2 million Russian casualties and between 500,000 and 600,000 Ukrainian casualties. This includes both wounded and killed troops.
As many as 325,000 Russians have been killed since the war began nearly four years ago, the think tank reported, accounting for the majority of troops killed in the war.
“No major power has suffered anywhere near these numbers of casualties or fatalities in any war since World War II,” the CSIS said, despite advancing “remarkably slowly on the battlefield”.
The Kremlin dismissed the reports on Wednesday, saying the figures should not be seen as reliable.
Elsewhere, Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of an “act of terrorism” after a Russian attack on a Ukrainian passenger train killed at least five people.
“In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be regarded in the same way – purely as an act of terrorism,” Zelensky said.
Watch: Zelensky warns Russia is planning ‘massive’ strike ahead of peace talksZelensky warns Russia is planning ‘massive’ strike ahead of peace talks
Arpan Rai29 January 2026 05:14
France sending power generators to Ukraine, says Macron after call with Zelensky
French president Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday to express his condemnation of Russia’s latest attacks and assured that power generators are being sent to Ukraine.
The recent wave of Russian attacks have knocked out power and heating systems in much of Ukraine, as both countries target each other’s energy infrastructure.
Zelensky said that he briefed Macron on the frontline situation and Russian losses.
“And, of course, we discussed how to strengthen our energy resilience. In the near future, Ukraine will receive generators from France. There will also be additional deliveries this year of French aircraft, missiles for air defence systems, and aerial bombs,” he said, thanking the French leader.
Arpan Rai29 January 2026 05:07
Nearly 2 million military casualties in Ukraine war, reports finds – with Putin’s forces bearing brunt of losses
The number of soldiers killed, injured or missing on both sides of Russia’s war on Ukraine could hit two million by the spring, a report has warned – with Russia suffering the largest number of troop deaths recorded for any major power in any conflict since the Second World War.
The study by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies revealed the slow, deadly grind of the conflict, and comes before the fourth anniversary of the Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.
The report said Russia suffered 1.2 million casualties, including up to 325,000 troop deaths, between February 2022 and December 2025. “No major power has suffered anywhere near these numbers of casualties or fatalities in any war since World War II,” the authors said.
It estimated that Ukraine, with its smaller army and population, had suffered between 500,000 to 600,000 military casualties, including up to 140,000 deaths.
Arpan Rai29 January 2026 04:54
Trump’s negotiator reveals ‘shocking’ lack of knowledge about Ukraine war
A senior US envoy engaged in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine is not aware of the date when the invasion took place and that the war-hit nation does not have a vice-president, officials said.
Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and real estate developer-turned-peace envoy Steve Witkoff are helming the peace talks for the Trump administration.
Without naming which envoy made the blunder, an official involved in the talks told the Kyiv Independent that a US negotiator referred to the head of the president’s office, Kryrlo Budanov, as Ukraine’s vice president.
Ukraine does not have a vice president under its constitutional framework. The president, Volodymyr Zelensky at present, is the head of state. The authority is temporarily passed on to the chairperson of parliament if the president cannot perform duties.
The US official also did not know basic facts about the war. On being asked if the peace push from the Trump administration was aimed at ending the war by its fourth anniversary on 24 February, the US envoy said he was not aware of when the full-scale invasion began.
“I wasn’t aware of what that anniversary date was,” the envoy answered. “I don’t think we feel pressure to because we have a four-year anniversary,” he said.
He also falsely claimed that Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has lasted longer than the Second World War.
“I think it’s the longest war now. It was longer than World War II. At this point, it’s been going on.”
Jared Kushner, left, and Steve Witkoff walk in the corridors during the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos (AP)
Arpan Rai29 January 2026 04:40
How Putin lures foreign nationals to the frontlines with the promise of work
For average wage earners in Russia, it’s a big payday. For criminals seeking to escape the harsh conditions and abuse in prison, it’s a chance at freedom. For immigrants hoping for a better life, it’s a simplified path to citizenship.
All they have to do is sign a contract to fight in Ukraine.
This desperate recruitment drive is part of Moscow’s strategy to replenish its forces in the nearly four-year conflict, while simultaneously avoiding an unpopular nationwide mobilisation. The bloody war of attrition has also seen foreign combatants join the fray. Following a mutual defence treaty in 2024, North Korea reportedly sent thousands of soldiers to help Russia defend its Kursk region against a Ukrainian incursion.
Arpan Rai29 January 2026 04:32
Watch: Carriages burn following deadly Russian drone attack on Ukraine passenger trainCarriages burn following deadly Russian drone attack on Ukraine passenger train
Arpan Rai29 January 2026 04:10
Kremlin rejects war casualties report, says trust only Moscow’s data
A senior Kremlin official has rejected a report claiming Russia has sustained the largest number of troop deaths for any major power in any conflict since the Second World War.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov snubbed the findings and said people should only trust casualty figures shared by the Russian defence ministry.
“I don’t think such reports can and should be viewed as reliable information,” Peskov told reporters at a daily briefing yesterday.
Russia has rarely released any details of its casualties in Ukraine and the figures it does put out are widely considered to be understatements.
A report from US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies said Russia suffered 1.2 million casualties, including up to 325,000 troop deaths, between February 2022 and December 2025.
Russian president Vladimir Putin and Russian Chief of General Staff General Valery Gerasimov attend the annual board meeting of the country’s Defense Ministry and awards soldiers in Moscow (Sputnik)
Arpan Rai29 January 2026 03:33
Zelensky says Russia is preparing a ‘massive strike’ ahead of Sunday peace talks
Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian intelligence has indicated that Russia was preparing “a new massive strike” as he reminds world leaders that any attack will discredit the peace process.
“The United States, Europe, and all our partners have to understand how this discredits diplomatic talks,” Zelensky said.
“Every single Russian strike does.”
Trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the US are due to resume in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, following the first round of “constructive” talks over the weekend.
Arpan Rai29 January 2026 03:20
Rubio says active work is underway to resolve Donetsk issues in peace talks
Work is underway to resolve the key territorial issue of Donetsk in peace talks, Marco Rubio has said.
The US Secretary of State described the disagreement as one of the central remaining issues, which he said was “very difficult” to settle.
Vladimir Putin has repeatedly insisted that Russia will take all of Ukraine’s Donbas region by force if Ukraine does not surrender it in a peace deal.
The US has also signalled that security guarantees would only be promised to Ukraine if it agrees to give up the Donbas region, of which Moscow’s forces control 90 per cent.
(AFP/Getty)
Arpan Rai29 January 2026 03:08
Northern and eastern Ukraine face coldest winter in years after Russian strikes on power grid
Daily life is going to be particularly tough for Ukrainians over the next three weeks due to plunging temperatures and a compromised energy infrastructure that has been pummelled by intense Russian attacks, depriving millions of light and heat, a senior lawmaker has warned.
Weather forecasts for the next week show extremely low temperatures with the mercury set to dip below -20 degrees Celsius (-4°F) in northern and eastern parts of Ukraine next week.
“The bad news is that there will indeed be frosts, and it will be difficult,” Andriy Gerus, the head of the parliament’s energy committee, told TV channel Marathon.
“The good news is that we need to hold out for three weeks, and then it will get easier,” he added, citing predicted warmer temperatures and increased solar power from longer days.
His remarks come in the light of Russia stepping up bombardments beyond the frontline that stretches across eastern and southern Ukraine.
Moscow is counting on the harsh winter and terrorising civilians in Ukrainian cities to use as leverage in the ongoing trilateral peace negotiations.
(Reuters)
Arpan Rai29 January 2026 02:58