More than 500,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since 2022 invasion, UK intelligence reports

U.K. military chief Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton reports that over 500,000 Russian troops have been killed and 1.5 million total casualties suffered since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Despite these massive losses and the destruction of over 10,000 armored vehicles, Moscow continues its systematic air campaign against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, including gas stations and shopping malls. Meanwhile, Ukraine has escalated its long-range drone strikes deep into Russian territory, hitting Arctic gas plants and oil refineries, which has severely strained Russian air defenses and forced record fuel imports.

Russian casualty figures in Ukraine

• ▪A June 2026 Center for Strategic and International Studies report estimated that Ukraine suffered between 525,000 and 625,000 casualties, including 125,000 to 150,000 killed, from February 2022 to June 2026
• ▪U.K. military chief Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton stated that total Russian casualties, including killed, wounded, and missing, are estimated at 1.5 million since February 2022
• ▪U.K. military chief Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton announced on September 11, 2026, that an estimated 500,000 Russian troops have been killed in Ukraine since February 2022
• ▪The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on September 11, 2026, that total Russian military casualties since February 2022 have exceeded 1.5 million

Russian military equipment losses

• ▪Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton stated that Russian military equipment losses include close to 3,000 air defense and artillery systems and over 370 aircraft and helicopters
• ▪Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton stated that the Russian armed forces have lost more than 10,000 armored and protected vehicles since the start of the invasion

Putin-Trump phone call

• ▪Kremlin foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump held an extremely frank one-hour phone call focused on settling the conflict in Ukraine
• ▪During a September 2026 phone call, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented an analysis of the frontline situation to U.S. President Donald Trump and outlined actions to conclude hostilities

Russian attacks on civilian targets

• ▪A Russian drone attack on September 10, 2026, killed four people and wounded at least 19 others in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv
• ▪Russian drone strikes on September 10, 2026, targeted two Ukrnafta gas stations in Kyiv, killing two people and wounding six at one of the locations
• ▪A Russian drone attack on September 10, 2026, killed five residents and wounded 67 others near shopping malls in the central Ukrainian city of Pavlohrad

Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia

• ▪Ukraine's Special Operations Forces claimed responsibility for a long-range drone strike targeting the Novy Urengoy and Purovsky gas condensate processing plants in Russia's Arctic Yamal-Nenets region
• ▪A report by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air stated that Ukrainian strikes on refining capacity forced Russia to import a record 189,600 tons of fuel in August 2026
• ▪The Russian Defense Ministry stated that its air defenses intercepted 777 Ukrainian drones overnight between September 10 and September 11, 2026, across 16 Russian regions, Crimea, and adjacent seas

Debatable claims

• ▪Ukraine should agree to an immediate ceasefire to start peace negotiations
• ▪Ukraine should continue targeting energy infrastructure inside Russia