Ukraine war: Rising death toll of Russian soldiers endangers troops' morale, according to US officials

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Russian soldiers in action: Troop morale endangered?

Photo: Konstantin Mihalchevskiy / dpa

Three weeks ago, Russia invaded Ukraine.

Since then, the Kremlin has repeatedly said that the "military operation" is going according to plan.

However, the halting advance and high losses of Russian troops paint a different picture.

US estimates now assume that more than 7,000 soldiers from Russia have lost their lives in the neighboring country.

According to the New York Times, Pentagon officials say that this could become a problem for troop morale.

So far, Moscow has been reluctant to publish death figures.

Once at the end of February, the Kremlin gave a number.

At that time there was talk of 489 fallen Russian soldiers.

At that time, Ukrainian figures were already much higher.

In the past few days, there have also been reports that the morgues in Belarus on the border with Ukraine are being filled with Russian soldiers.

According to the New York Times, the number of more than 7,000 Russian soldiers killed is a conservative estimate.

others are even higher.

According to Ukrainian information, Moscow has killed around 13,500 people so far.

Even if you start from the comparatively lower US figure, the numbers are frightening, according to the New York Times.

In just under three weeks of the Ukraine war, Russia would have lost more soldiers than the United States in 20 years of Iraq and Afghanistan combined.

Units Knocked Out?

It's a staggering number given three weeks of combat, US officials say, according to the article.

This affects the combat effectiveness of Russian units, including soldiers in tank formations.

A unit becomes disabled when it loses 10 percent of its strength, including dead and wounded.

More than 150,000 Russian soldiers are currently deployed in the Ukraine war.

Adding up the possible death toll and the estimated 14,000 to 21,000 wounded on the Russian side, Russian casualties would come close to that 10 percent.

NATO and Ukraine also assume that Moscow has already lost three generals.

As the New York Times writes, citing unnamed officials, the estimated figures are based on analyzes of media reports, satellite images, video material and information from Russia and Ukraine.

The officials warned that they were inaccurate.

more on the subject

• Kyiv and Russian aggression: A city holds its breathAlexander Sarovic and Emin Oezmen report from Kiev (photos)

• Suffering of the people in Kyiv: "I no longer have a home" Alexander Sarovic reports from Kyiv

The high casualty rate may be one of the explanations why Russia's vaunted military force has largely stalled outside of Kyiv.

Even after three weeks, the Russian invaders have not encircled the Ukrainian capital.

Putin stepped up airstrikes

With a view to the high number of deaths on the Russian side, security expert Evelyn Farkas told the New York Times: "Loss like these affect the morale and cohesion of the units, especially since these soldiers do not understand why they are fighting." Ground forces, she stressed.

Farkas was the top Pentagon official for Russia and Ukraine during the administration of former President Barack Obama.

In recent days, Russia has increasingly intensified its airstrikes in Ukraine.

In doing so, the quoted US officials believe, Russian President Vladimir Putin may be trying to make up for his military's poor performance on the ground.

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