7,000 Russian Soldiers Killed In Ukraine Within 3 Weeks

KEY POINTS

Nearly 20% of Russian troops are now out of commission
Many soldiers have either surrendered or left the battlefield
Experts say Putin is unlikely to change his strategy despite the growing Russian toll

Russia has lost approximately 7,000 soldiers over the past three weeks since it first invaded Ukraine, according to estimates from American intelligence.

The estimated deaths, combined with an estimated 21,000 wounded soldiers, mean that nearly 20% of the 150,000 Russian troops are currently out of commission amid the war in Ukraine. The number may continue to increase as U.S. leaders say they will supply lethal American weapons to Ukraine.

In addition to the 7,000 casualties in Russia, Ukrainian officials said they have killed at least four top-ranking Russian generals - Maj. Gen. Oleg Mityaev, Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, Maj. Gen. Andrey Kolesnikov and Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky since the beginning of the war.

The Pentagon has said that the rising number of war deaths on the Russian side has led to low morale among its troops. A recent report said some Russian troops have surrendered en masse. Other soldiers also parked their vehicles and walked off into the woods or sabotaged their own equipment to avoid fighting, a senior Pentagon official told The New York Times. The official declined to say how the assessments were made.

Despite the reports, several American officials who spoke to the publication on condition of anonymity warned that the number of deaths among the Russians was not exact and was only compiled through analysis of news reports.

The deaths and low morale among Russian troops come after The Times UK on March 12 said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had placed two of his top intelligence officials under house arrest. The officials ran the Fifth Service of the FSB, Russia’s intelligence service. Both officials were allegedly interrogated for providing poor intelligence ahead of the invasion of Ukraine.

Additionally, around eight Russian military leaders have also been dismissed “due to their failures in Ukraine. An analysis by the Institute for the Study of War think tank said the firing of officials comes as Russian forces have been stalemated in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

Despite the Russian toll and the stalemate, some military specialists said Putin is unlikely to change his strategy in Ukraine.