Russia’s combat losses in May largest since war-start - British intelligence

In May, the average daily personnel casualties suffered by Russia were the highest since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

That’s according to the British Ministry of Defense, referring to intelligence data, Ukrinform reports.

Intelligence experts noted that the total number of Russians killed and wounded since the beginning of the war against Ukraine has likely reached 500,000. In 2024, Russian casualties continued to remain high, and in May average Russian personnel losses stood at over 1,200 per day, the highest rate since the full-scale invasion.

"The elevated casualty rate is highly likely a reflection of Russia’s ongoing attritional offensive which is being conducted across a wide front," analysts believe.

It is highly likely that most Russian forces receive only limited training and they are unable to carry out complex offensive operations. As a result, Russia employs small-scale but costly wave attacks in an effort to weaken Ukrainian defenses.

"However, the need to continuously replenish front line personnel will almost certainly continue to limit Russia’s ability to generate higher capability units," the intelligence report concluded.

As reported, as of May 25, Russia’s combat losses in Ukraine have amounted to nearly 500,080.