Russia has claimed that Ukraine has lost nearly 500,000 soldiers since the beginning of 2025 in ongoing fighting between the two countries.
Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov made the statement during a high-level meeting of the Russian Defence Ministry on Wednesday, which was also attended by President Vladimir Putin, according to Russian state broadcaster RT.
Belousov said that the scale of Ukraine’s losses has made it increasingly difficult for Kyiv to rebuild and reorganize its armed forces. He added that widespread casualties have reduced civilian willingness to join the military under compulsory conscription.
In addition to personnel losses, the Russian defence minister claimed that Ukraine has lost more than 103,000 units of weapons and military equipment this year alone. These reportedly include 5,500 tanks and armored vehicles, many of which were supplied by Western allies.
Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in 2022 following years of tensions over issues such as NATO expansion and the status of Crimea, which Moscow considers its territory. Shortly after the conflict began, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed a ban on men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country.
At the start of the war, Ukraine’s minimum age for civilian enlistment was 27, which was later reduced to 25 in an effort to boost troop numbers.
Reports have also emerged over the past year of clashes between civilians and military recruitment officials in several Ukrainian regions, amid allegations of forced conscription.
Ukraine has not yet responded to the latest claims made by the Russian defence minister.
