Syrskyi reveals how many Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine since beginning of 2026

Since the beginning of 2026, Russia's total losses have exceeded 141,500 military personnel, of whom more than 83,000 were killed, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on May 20.

The figures were revealed in Syrskyi's report on participation in a Ukraine–NATO Council meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels.

Syrskyi said he briefed participants on the current operational situation at the front lines, the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and key priorities for strengthening Ukraine's capabilities

"I emphasized that active defense tactics allow us to wear down the enemy, regain ground, and inflict maximum losses on the enemy. Every day, the Russian army loses at least a thousand soldiers killed and wounded," Syrskyi said.

He added that Ukraine's unmanned systems units have been essential to this effort and laregly as a result of its work, Russia has been losing more personnel than it can mobilize.

According to Syrskyi, Ukraine has notably ramped up the number of strikes deep behind Russian lines by quickly deploying mid-range strike drones, and Ukrainian troops have made progress in weakening Russian air defenses at closer ranges, enabling more effective attacks on logistics hubs, oil refineries, and defense-industrial facilities of Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 10 that "out of 100% of losses, 62% are killed and 38% wounded" among Russian forces, citing intelligence assessments reviewed by Ukraine — a ratio of nearly 2:1.

Syrskyi's latest figures equate to a slightly lower percentage of 58% killed to 42% wounded.

In most previous modern wars, advances in battlefield medicine and casualty evacuation systems have meant wounded soldiers far outnumber those killed.

Retired Australian Army Major General Mick Ryan told the Kyiv Independent earlier this month large-scale conventional wars have traditionally produced ratios of roughly one dead soldier for every three to five wounded, or 1:3 to 1:5.

According to Phillips O'Brien, Professor of Strategic Studies and head of the School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews, the conditions on the battlefield in Ukraine may now be reversing a century-long trend, placing the war far outside the historical norms of modern warfare.

World War I, which similarly involved entrenched front lines and extensive artillery warfare, resulted in roughly 10 million military dead compared to around 20 million wounded across all theaters of the war, a ratio of 1:2.

Independent Russian media outlets Mediazona and Meduza, on May 9, updated their overall estimate of Russia's military losses in Ukraine. According to their report, 352,000 Russian men between the ages of 18 and 59 have been killed since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Ukraine's General Staff has not revealed its own losses during the full-scale invasion, citing operational secrecy.

A January 2026 CSIS report said Ukraine has likely suffered between 500,000 and 600,000 casualties from February 2022 to December 2025, of which between 100,000 and 140,000 are thought to be killed in action (KIA).