The Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, briefed NATO military leaders on the effectiveness of Ukraine’s “active defense tactics,” which he claims deplete enemy forces while allowing for the recovery of positions and inflicting significant casualties on Russian troops.
Syrskyi stated that the Russian military is losing at least 1,000 personnel daily due to deaths and injuries. He reported that since the start of 2026, total Russian losses have surpassed 141,500, with over 83,000 being irrecoverable. His remarks were made during a video conference at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on May 20.
According to Syrskyi, Ukrainian drone units play a crucial role in these tactics. “For five consecutive months, their operations have resulted in greater personnel losses for Russia than the enemy can mobilize,” he asserted.
He also noted that Ukraine has significantly increased its strikes deep into Russian territory, aided by the rapid deployment of Middle Strike drones. Syrskyi mentioned some successes in neutralizing Russian air defense systems at closer ranges, which has allowed Ukrainian forces to more effectively target logistical hubs, oil refineries, and defense industry facilities in Russia.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has lost approximately 1,352,070 military personnel, including 920 in just the last day, as of the morning of May 20.
Russian media outlets, including Meduza and Mediazona, estimated the Russian military’s losses at the end of 2025 to be around 352,000 personnel. This figure includes 261,000 confirmed dead and 90,000 classified as killed or missing based on judicial decisions, or whose deaths were recorded with delays of over 180 days for other reasons.
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These estimates are based on named lists of the deceased compiled by Mediazona in collaboration with the BBC Russian Service and volunteer teams, as well as data from the Russian Inheritance Registry.
As of April 2026, journalists from the BBC Russian Service and Mediazona, along with volunteer teams, confirmed the names of at least 212,188 Russian servicemen who have died in the conflict against Ukraine since February 2022, based on information from open sources.
International organizations and intelligence agencies have provided even higher estimates of total Russian casualties (both wounded and killed). In December 2025, a NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity, informed the BBC Russian Service that the total number of dead and wounded in the Russian army could be approaching 1.15 million.
Ukrainian military leaders report significant Russian losses, with daily casualties estimated at 1,000. The use of drone technology and active defense tactics is credited with these high figures, as Ukraine intensifies its military operations.