Study Shows Nearly 2 Million Soldiers Killed or Injured in Ukraine Conflict
A sobering new study has quantified the staggering human cost of the war in Ukraine, revealing a scale of military loss not seen among major powers since the Second World War. According to an analysis published Tuesday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the nearly four-year conflict has resulted in close to two million total military casualties—including those killed, wounded, or missing—between Russian and Ukrainian forces.
An Unprecedented Toll in Modern Warfare
The Washington-based think tank’s report underscores the conflict’s extraordinary brutality. CSIS notes that “No major power has suffered anywhere near these numbers of casualties or fatalities in any war since World War II.”
The study breaks down the immense losses:
- Russian forces have borne the heaviest toll, with an estimated 1.2 million total casualties. Of these, as many as 325,000 Russian soldiers are believed to have been killed.
- Ukrainian forces have suffered between 500,000 and 600,000 casualties, with between 100,000 and 140,000 killed.
Combined casualties may already be as high as 1.8 million and “could reach two million total casualties by the spring of 2026,” the report warns. These figures starkly contrast with official statements; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last year cited a death toll of nearly 46,000, which analysts widely consider a significant undercount.
The Civilian Agony Continues
Beyond the battlefield, the war’s devastation continues to mount for civilians. The United Nations reported that 2025 saw more civilian deaths in Ukraine than any other year except 2022, the initial year of the full-scale invasion. UN monitors verified over 2,500 civilians killed and more than 12,000 wounded in 2025 alone. Since 2022, the verified civilian death toll is nearly 15,000, though the UN stresses the actual total “is likely considerably higher.”
A War of Attrition with Slow Gains
Despite these catastrophic losses, the CSIS report observes that the conflict remains a grinding war of attrition. “Russian forces are advancing remarkably slowly on the battlefield,” the analysis states, highlighting the immense cost paid for minimal territorial gain.
The study serves as a grim reminder of the war’s human dimension, often obscured by discussions of frontline movements and geopolitics. As the conflict approaches its fourth anniversary, the figures paint a picture of a generation scarred, families shattered, and a profound loss that will shape both nations for decades to come. With casualties still mounting, the report issues an implicit challenge to the international community: how many more must be added to this tragic tally before a path to peace is found?
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