Russia's summer offensive becomes its costliest campaign during Ukraine invasion, Economist reports
Moscow's ongoing summer offensive has been the most costly in terms of Russian manpower losses during the entire full-scale war in Ukraine, the Economist said in its analysis published on July 9.
Russia launched its new campaign at the beginning of May, aiming to advance deeper into eastern Donetsk Oblast and carve out a buffer zone in northeastern Sumy Oblast.
The news outlet estimates roughly 31,000 Russian soldiers were killed in the offensive so far, in comparison to some 190,000-350,000 deaths and up to 1.3 million overall Russian casualties of the entire full-scale war.
The outlet based its analysis on NASA satellite footage and data from Western governments and independent researchers. Its figures come close to Ukraine's estimates, which put Russian overall losses to over 1 million.
The Economist wrote it was unable to provide estimates for Ukrainian losses during the offensive.
A June research by the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated Ukraine's casualties during the full-scale war at 400,000, including between 60,000 and 100,000 fatalities.
Russia, nevertheless, continues to rely on its capacity to muster fresh troops and offset the losses. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in May that while Kyiv manages to mobilize about 25,000-27,000 troops every month, Moscow mobilizes between 40,000 and 45,000 in the same period.
Ukraine's challenges are compounded by escalating Russian aerial strikes and uncertainties about U.S. support, with at least some U.S. aid packages, including Patriot missiles, being held up by a Pentagon stockpile review earlier this month.
Kyiv has claimed success in holding off a Russian advance into northeastern Sumy Oblast. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said last month that the Russian offensive is "faltering," with Ukrainain forces allegedly pinning down about 50,000 Russian troops in the sector.
Russia launched the offensive despite calls by Kyiv and its Western allies for an unconditional ceasefire.
