Russia lost an astonishing 38,000-plus soldiers in September as the intense pressure continues to mount on Vladimir Putin and his floundering Ukraine war plans.
The 38,130 figure, announced by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, equates to an average daily total of 1,271 – the second bloodiest month since Vladimir Putin launched his illegal invasion.
It wrote on X: “1271 – average daily Russian personnel losses in September 2024. It’s the second-highest monthly number since the invasion began. In total, the occupiers lost 38,130 soldiers during the last month.
“Everything is going according to the plan.”
The astonishingly high number is a continuation of the previous three months which saw an average daily loss of 1,210 and takes the number of Russian troops killed or wounded to approximately 654,430 since the outbreak of the conflict, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Morale in large parts of the Russian armed forces is believed to be low, with social media videos regularly showing brutal disciplinary tactics to ensure that poorly trained troops with low motivation continue to obey orders.
In August, video footage emerged of Russian soldiers found to be drunk on duty being tied to trees and punched in the face. Similarly, this week, unverified videos on X showed Russian soldiers being attacked by comrades for losing ground and surrendering troops being targeted by their own artillery.
It is unclear as to how much longer Russia can continue to sustain such heavy losses in the conflict. Despite boasting a large population, the mounting death toll is likely to increase domestic pressure on Putin and threaten to turn the tide of public opinion against him.
One of the key factors surrounding the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989 was the pressure from ordinary Russian mothers and wives who became a growing voice of discontent in response to unexpected high casualty rates.
Inside Russia, history is beginning to repeat itself as the high casualty figures begin to present Putin with a potentially serious domestic headache that will restrict how much longer Russia can continue to churn through manpower in return for little military gain.
