The Kyiv Independent Live in London: 
Russian troop losses rose 46% since January, hit 2026 high in September, Ukraine says
on Google
Russian forces suffered an estimated 46,230 personnel losses in September, the highest monthly figure recorded by Ukraine so far in 2026, Ukraine's General Staff said on Oct. 1.
The September figure surpassed previous summer highs of 42,860 in July and 42,020 in August. According to the General Staff, Russian personnel losses have risen from 31,710 in January to 46,230 in September — an increase of nearly 46%.
"This dynamic demonstrates the complete inability of the occupying forces' military leadership to achieve its objectives, as well as the growing accuracy and effectiveness of Ukrainian units' strikes," the General Staff said on Telegram.
Inflicting heavy personnel losses has become a stated strategic objective of Ukraine. In January, then-Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Ukraine aimed to "kill 50,000 Russians per month," arguing that losses on that scale could undermine Moscow's ability to sustain the war.
The September figure brings Russia's estimated monthly losses closer to that target than at any previous point this year.
The increase also comes as Russia faces growing pressure to replace troops while sustaining offensive operations along the front.
December 2025 marked the first month in which Russian personnel losses exceeded the number of troops Moscow managed to recruit, according to the General Staff. Since then, the manpower balance has remained an increasingly important issue as the Kremlin seeks to sustain the war without announcing a new wave of mobilization.
Russia continues to rely heavily on contract recruitment and financial incentives, but recruitment has slowed.
Janis Kluge, a research fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said, citing regional budget data, that 234,000 new military contracts were signed in the first eight months of this year, compared with 260,000 in the same period in 2025.
Ukrainian intelligence has also said Russia's General Staff is prepared to mobilize around 300,000 people in 2026 and another 300,000 in 2027 if needed.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in July that Russia has lost more than 1.5 million troops killed or wounded since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The figures cannot be independently verified, and Moscow does not publish comprehensive casualty data.
