Latest Estimates Suggest Russian Troops Have Been Hit Harder

British Defense Secretary George Wallace said Monday about 15,000 Russian troops have been killed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, adding to mounting evidence of the Russian death toll—NATO estimated last month 7,000 to 15,000 Russian troops have died in the invasion and Ukraine said Monday 21,900 Russian troops have been killed, all far outpacing the 1,351 dead Russia reported March 25 in its last casualty update.

Russia’s death toll likely outpaces that of Ukrainian military personnel: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN last week about 2,500 to 3,000 soldiers have been killed, likely a more reliable figure than the 14,000 Ukrainian troops Russia said it had killed March 25, and third-party estimates on Ukrainian troop casualties are not available.

However, the losses among Ukrainian civilians are significant, and the United Nations has recorded 2,729 civilian deaths among Ukrainians related to the violence, mostly due to shelling and missile strikes.

The U.N. notes that figure is likely “considerably” lower than the true civilian death toll, and Ukrainian officials have said thousands of more civilians have died during the invasion.