New Delhi: The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, which started in 2022, has taken a heavy toll on Russia’s military strength and morale. According to reports from ANI and CNN, based on intelligence sources, Russia has lost a staggering 87% of its active-duty ground troops and two-thirds of its pre-invasion tanks in the course of the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia’s devastating losses
CNN reported that Russia began the war with 360,000 troops, comprising both contract and conscripted personnel. Out of these, Russia suffered 315,000 casualties on the battlefield. Moreover, Russia lost 2,200 out of 3,500 tanks and 4,400 out of 13,600 armored vehicles in the bloody conflict.
The report also stated that Russia had depleted more than a quarter of its pre-invasion inventory of ground army equipment by the end of November 2023. The report added that the complexity and intensity of Russian offensive operations had declined, as they had failed to achieve victory over Ukraine since the onset of the war in 2022.
Russia’s desperate measures
Despite these massive losses, Russia has managed to sustain its war effort by lowering its recruitment standards and using its stockpile of old Soviet-era equipment. According to the CIA, before the invasion, Russia had a total standing army of around 900,000 active-duty troops, including ground troops, airborne troops, special operations, and other uniformed personnel. This number has now reduced significantly.
Ukraine’s resilience and resistance
In this context, Timofey Milovanoff, head of the Kyiv School of Economics and a former minister in the Ukrainian government, said that Ukraine had demonstrated that the Russian army could be resisted. He said that Ukraine had succeeded in pushing Russia back considerably. He called this a strategic victory for Ukraine and the world. He also said that the pre-war perception of the strength of the Russian army had changed. He asserted that Ukraine would keep fighting, as this had become a personal battle for the Ukrainian people. However, he also acknowledged that Russia was busy garnering support from various countries to bolster its position.
The changing dynamics of the war
The war between Russia and Ukraine has also created confusion among Ukraine’s allies about how to support it. On the other hand, Russia has also been gathering new allies. The war has also shown that it will not be decided by tanks and guns, but by technology. In this scenario, the one who has better war technology will have the upper hand.
