Russian causalities hit more than 2,000 troops in a single day, Ukraine’s defense ministry said Friday morning—breaking a bleak record set only weeks ago.
A post from the ministry said Moscow’s forces suffered 2,030 personnel losses between November 28 and 29, the first time it has reported more than 2,000 in a single day.
The previous highest daily casualty figure came when Russia lost 1,950 troops on November 11, Ukraine reported. This came only one day after Kyiv said 1,770 troops were lost by Moscow, for a total of 3,720 casualties sustained over both days, breaking grim records two days in a row.
If the latest figures are accurate, this would bring Russia’s total number of casualties since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to 738,660.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Edmund BurkeThe combat losses of the enemy from February 24, 2022 to November 29, 2024. pic.twitter.com/a9Go8VomkQ
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) November 29, 2024
Russia does not publicize its military losses and analysts are skeptical of casualty reports from both sides.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment via email.
Ukraine also reports that the latest losses bring Russia’s casualty total this month to 42,250, making November the deadliest month for the country’s troops since the full-scale invasion began.
Prior to this, October was the deadliest month overall for Russian troops, Kyiv said, with 41,980 casualties reported last month.
On Friday Ukraine also said Russian forces had lost eight tanks, 34 artillery systems, and an air defense system over the preceding 24 hours.
Newsweek has examined Russian tank and artillery losses up to October.
For tanks, the worst month for Russian forces was May, during which Ukraine reported 428 destroyed. Last month, Kyiv said 279 Russian tanks were lost.
As for artillery systems, losses peaked in July, with 1,520, followed closely by another 1,517 in August. Last month, 1,184 were reportedly destroyed.
Kyiv’s casualty figure report came after Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea on Friday.
Russia’s defense ministry said meetings were planned with North Korea’s military and military-political leadership.
This follows Washington’s recent decision to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range weaponry to strike targets in Russian territory, lifting a restriction that had previously been placed on Kyiv’s forces. The decision followed reports that North Korea would be bolstering Moscow’s army with troops.
Moscow has since retaliated with a hypersonic missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, which targeted a military facility.
The strike involved the experimental Oreshnik hypersonic missile, an intermediate-range weapon reportedly adaptable for both nuclear and conventional warheads.
Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about this article? Do you have any questions about the war in Ukraine? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com
