The Economist: Summer offensive was the deadliest phase of the war in Ukraine for Russia
10 July 2025 15:15
Between May 1 and July 9, 2025, Russia suffered the largest losses since the beginning of a full-scale war – approximately 31,000 people were killed during the summer offensive in Ukraine. This was reported by The Economist, citing its own estimates and satellite data from the NASA program, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
In general, according to the publication, Russia’s losses since 2022 range from 900 thousand to 1.3 million people, of whom 190 thousand to 350 thousand were killed. These data are consistent with other independent estimates that, as of the end of June 2025, put the total number of Russian victims at more than 1 million.
Despite the record losses, Russian advance on the front remains slow. Currently, the pace of attack is one of the fastest in the last two years, but on average does not exceed 15 square kilometers per day. According to The Economist, over the past year, one dead Russian soldier accounts for only 0.038 square kilometers of captured territory. At this rate, it would take Russia another 89 years to occupy the entire territory of Ukraine.
It is also noted that even the complete seizure of the currently unoccupied parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions would last until February 2029.
Despite this, the Russian military leadership does not demonstrate readiness to retreat. According to the newspaper, 10-15 thousand new servicemen are recruited into the Russian army every month, which is more than in Ukraine. Russian military enlistment offices are mainly focused on financial motivation – high payments and bonuses, rather than general mobilization, which is typical for Ukraine.
The Economist emphasizes that such tactics of the Kremlin allow Putin to maintain the pace of the war, despite the human losses and limited success on the battlefield.
