Russian losses from February 24, 2022, to October 23, 2024, as reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Here are the summarized figures:
Personnel: ~683,040 (+1,460)
Aircraft: 369
Helicopters: 329
Tanks: 9,088 (+9)
Armoured Personnel Vehicles (APVs): 18,229 (+30)
Artillery Systems: 19,674 (+51)
Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS): 1,234
Anti-Aircraft Warfare Systems: 981
Operational-Tactical Level UAVs: 17,489 (+85)
Cruise Missiles: 2,625
Warships/Boats: 28
Submarines: 1
Vehicles & Fuel Tanks: 27,217 (+106)
Special Equipment: 3,509 (+10)
The information includes increments for some categories, indicating recent changes. The data provides insight into Ukrainian claims of Russian losses across multiple military assets during the ongoing conflict.
Russia, under Vladimir Putin’s regime, employs a combination of denial, narrative control, and systematic repression to manage domestic perception of military losses and sustain popular support for the war. This strategy combines information manipulation with intimidation and coercion, aiming to insulate Putin from political fallout while maintaining the war effort.
Putin’s state media portrays Russia’s losses as minimal and exaggerated by Western media. The state systematically minimizes the scale of casualties and equipment losses, while presenting battlefield setbacks as temporary or inconsequential. The regime floods domestic media with stories of supposed battlefield successes and exaggerated Ukrainian losses, ensuring the narrative remains focused on Russia’s supposed “heroic” struggle against NATO encroachment. By shifting the narrative to an existential conflict, Putin attempts to justify the war and its costs.
State-sponsored propaganda targets national pride, framing the conflict as a defense of Russian civilization against Western aggression. Putin’s regime silences dissent through stringent media laws, prosecuting journalists, activists, and opposition figures who contradict the state narrative. Organizations that challenge official casualty numbers are labeled as foreign agents or subversives, undermining their credibility and limiting their reach.
The Kremlin uses both incentives and coercion to maintain recruitment for the military. Financial incentives attract volunteers, while conscription increasingly targets marginalized populations, ethnic minorities, and economically depressed regions. This approach minimizes the visibility of casualties in major cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg, deflecting anger from the regime’s power base.
Putin’s strategy relies on the manipulation of reality, creating a highly controlled media environment that obscures facts. The regime capitalizes on the historical acceptance of authoritarian governance, instilling a sense of resignation among the populace. The pervasive atmosphere of fear, combined with limited access to alternative information sources, hinders organized dissent, effectively muting widespread outrage over casualties and failures.
Despite these measures, the mounting losses strain Russia’s capacity to replenish its forces and undermine Putin’s image as a strong, infallible leader. This strategy’s sustainability remains in question, as growing casualties risk eroding the regime’s internal stability. However, Putin’s hold on power rests on his ruthless suppression of truth and control over Russia’s reality, leveraging disinformation and repression to prolong his rule at any cost.
