War in Ukraine: Russian losses exceed number of mobilized troops by half

In January, Russian troops failed to achieve significant territorial gains despite heavy losses, according to Bloomberg.

In December, the number of occupiers killed rose to 35,000, which is about twice the average monthly figure for 2025 calculated by NATO.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov outlined a strategy that would increase Russian losses to 50,000 per month. Kyiv believes that such a level of losses will make it impossible to replenish troops without Russian dictator Vladimir Putin announcing a new wave of open mobilization.

Western officials note that in December, Russian losses were roughly equal to the number of recruits that Moscow managed to attract each month. However, the deficit recorded in January indicates that Ukraine's strategy of attrition is working.

Western partners attribute the increase in mortality to the progress made by the Ukrainian army in the use of unmanned systems.

On February 6, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that despite Russia's reports of fulfilling its recruitment plans, the total number of its forces on the battlefield has remained stable over the past six months at around 712,000.

Photo: GUR.