The Veiled Number of Russian Deaths... "If Revealed, It Will Deal a Major Blow to Putin"

Ukraine Claims 5,000; Western Countries Claim 2,000

Vladimir Putin, President of Russia. / Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Amid the veil of secrecy surrounding the number of Russian military casualties in the invasion of Ukraine, an analysis suggests that if the scale is revealed, it could weaken Russian President Vladimir Putin's political standing.

For Russia, which has the painful memories of the Soviet Union's 1989 Afghanistan War and the two Chechen Wars in the 1990s, a large number of war casualties could lead to severe domestic public opinion deterioration.

The American daily The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 1st (local time) that if the number of Russian military casualties increases, President Putin could suffer political damage. The outlet stated, "Putin tells his citizens that he is conducting a limited military operation only in the eastern conflict zone, but if the death toll continues to rise, it will be difficult to explain the reasons."

Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov only mentioned on the 27th of last month that "there are wounded and dead soldiers." However, he claims that the number of Ukrainian military casualties is much higher. Meanwhile, Ukraine has announced that it has killed more than 5,300 Russian soldiers so far.

James Stavridis, former Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO, said, "Given many reports that more than 4,000 Russian soldiers have died, it is clear that something very dramatic is happening," adding, "If Russian military losses are this high, it will be difficult for President Putin to explain this war to his citizens."

NYT reported, "A U.S. government official estimated that 2,000 Russian soldiers had died as of the 28th of last month, and two European officials confirmed this."

A senior U.S. Department of Defense official reportedly stated in a classified briefing that during five days of fighting, both Russian and Ukrainian casualties were estimated to be 1,500 each. However, this estimate is based on satellite image analysis, signal interception, photos and reports posted on social media.

NYT noted that the number of U.S. military deaths during the 20-year war in Afghanistan was about 2,500. While the exact number of casualties is not yet confirmed, a simple comparison suggests that Russian military deaths are very high.

A military expert said, "Russia has built a field hospital near the front lines, and ambulances have been observed going back and forth to hospitals in Belarus."

NYT analyzed that the increasing number of casualties could remind Russians of the long wars and the pain caused by the resulting deaths. A U.S. government official explained, "Russian mothers may recall that 15,000 died during the Afghanistan invasion and thousands lost their lives during the Chechen attacks."

Meanwhile, U.S. Department of Defense leadership finds it very surprising that Russian forces retreated leaving their dead behind. Evelyn Farkas, who was responsible for Russia and Ukraine at the Department of Defense during the Barack Obama administration, pointed out, "It is shocking that the Russian military left their fallen brothers on the battlefield. Eventually, Russian mothers will start asking, 'Where is my son?'"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.