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The Kremlin has dismissed the report, claiming figures from the Center for Strategic and International Studies were unreliable
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Russian forces have suffered the heaviest battlefield losses the world has seen since the Second World War during its invasion of Ukraine, a new study shows.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies says the war has resulted in about 1.2 million Russian casualties and between 500,000 and 600,000 Ukrainian casualties. This includes both wounded and killed troops.
As many as 325,000 Russians have been killed since the war began nearly four years ago, the think tank reported, accounting for the majority of troops killed in the war.
“No major power has suffered anywhere near these numbers of casualties or fatalities in any war since World War II,” the CSIS said, despite advancing “remarkably slowly on the battlefield”.
The Kremlin dismissed the reports on Wednesday, saying the figures should not be seen as reliable.
Elsewhere, Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of an “act of terrorism” after a Russian attack on a Ukrainian passenger train killed at least five people.
“In any country, a drone strike on a civilian train would be regarded in the same way – purely as an act of terrorism,” Zelensky said.
The US has signalled that security guarantees will only be promised to Ukraine if it agrees to surrender territory to Russia in the Donbas, according to a report.
White House officials are said to have told Volodymyr Zelensky that security guarantees will only be given if a deal is agreed to give Moscow control of the entire region in eastern Ukraine – a red line for Kyiv.
Sources close to the discussions told the Financial Times that the Trump administration would provide additional weapons to strengthen Ukraine’s military in the event of a peace deal if Kyiv withdraws its forces from the region. Mr Zelensky has repeatedly stated that Ukraine will not give up any occupied land without a referendum on territory.
European and Ukrainian officials see Washington’s position as an attempt to place pressure on Kyiv to agree to a deal, with doubts raised over whether the White House is ready to make binding commitments on security.
The Kremlin has dismissed the report by a Washington based think-tank that Russia had suffered nearly 1.2 million casualties since it began its war in Ukraine in February 2022.
Such reports should not be seen as reliable, a Kremlin spokesperson said.
The report, by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, estimated that at current rates, combined Russian and Ukrainian casualties could reach 2 million by the spring of 2026.
Europe must “very rapidly” build independence in defence, Andrius Kubilius, the European Union’s defence commissioner, said on Wednesday.
“We need to develop pan-European capabilities, not only national ones, assigned to each member state by NATO capability targets”, Mr Kubilius said in a speech at the European Defence Agency.
“To be clear, independence does not mean: alone. Independence means together,” he added.
“Building a European Pillar in NATO. Together in the European Union, together in NATO and with Ukraine.”
Mr Kubilius also urged the European defence industry to invest in production potential, to avoid delays, arguing that “capabilities, not profits, matter most now and will matter in the coming years”.
British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Tuesday afternoon, a Downing Street spokesperson said in a statement.
Sir Keir and Mr Zelensky discussed progress made during recent peace talks in Abu Dhabi and agreed on need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, according to the statement.
The prime minister will head to China today for a visit aimed at strengthening political and business ties, after years of deepening animosity between Beijing and London, exacerbated by China’s close relationship with Russia during its invasion of Ukraine.
Russian drones damaged port infrastructure in Ukraine’s southern region of Odesa, on the Black Sea coast, the regional governor said on Wednesday.
Three people were hurt in the attack, Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app.
A residential building and buildings in the vicinity of an Orthodox monastery were also damaged, he added.
Ukraine has identified areas in an agreement with the US on post-war recovery that need to be worked through in more depth, president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday.
The recovery agreement is part of wider deal on ending the nearly four-year war with Russia.
“Work with the American side is progressing actively, and on the Ukrainian side we are working with maximum efficiency,” Mr Zelensky said on X.
“ We must achieve results as quickly as possible.”
France is against the European Union purchasing British Storm Shadow cruise missiles for Ukraine, according to the Telegraph.
Eleven European countries proposed a relaxation of rules on a 90 billion euro loan so that part of the funds could be used on British weapons.
But France insists that the money should only be spent within the EU.
The current rules give priority to European and Ukrainian defence manufacturers rather than those outside of the EU.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused 2 million military casualties, including people killed, wounded, or missing, according to a study by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies published on Tuesday.
Russia has borne the brunt of losses with an estimated 325,000 people killed out of a total of 1.2 million casualties on its side. Ukraine’s 500,000 to 600,000 casualties included between 100,000 and 140,000 dead.
“Combined Russian and Ukrainian casualties may be as high as 1.8 million and could reach two million total casualties by the spring of 2026,” said the US-based think tank.
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