The Economist estimates 60,000-100,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed in full-scale war
Between 60,000 to 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the full-scale war, and 400,000 more are too injured to fight on, according to estimates by The Economist published on Nov. 26.
Kyiv has largely avoided revealing the full extent of its military casualties, with President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledging only in February that 31,000 Ukrainian fighters have been killed.
Basing its calculations on leaked or published intelligence reports, defense officials, researchers, and open-source intelligence, The Economist wrote that Russia and Ukraine lost a greater share of their population than the U.S. during the Korean and Vietnam wars combined.
Almost one in 20 Ukrainian fighting-age men have been killed or injured because of the war, The Economist wrote.
In September, the Wall Street Journal provided similar estimates, positing that Ukraine had lost 80,000 soldiers killed and 400,000 wounded. The outlet estimated Russia's losses at up to 200,000 killed and 400,000 injured.
The exact figures for both sides are nearly impossible to establish as Kyiv and Moscow are secretive about their casualties. The last figure provided by Russian authorities was 5,937 killed soldiers as of September 2022.
In turn, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces put Russian overall losses at over 735,000 as of Nov. 27. The losses Russia suffered in the full-scale war are believed to be greater than during all the wars since 1945 combined.
According to The Economist, civilian casualties are even more difficult to establish but likely reach many tens of thousands.
The U.N. mission in Ukraine verified that 11,743 civilians were killed as of the summer, but the number is likely higher due to Russia barring access for monitors to occupied territories, namely to areas that likely saw the heaviest civilian casualties like Mariupol.
Abbey Fenbert
