Ukraine has claimed that Russian combat losses ran to the thousands in the hours prior to, during, and immediately after a 30-hour truce declared by Moscow on 19 April, with both sides moved to accuse each other of violations during the Easter period.
Publishing its daily combat claims over the Easter weekend, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence said that Russia sustained 2,800 combat losses from the 24 hours to 19 September up to the morning of 21 April.
This figure includes Russian forces both killed and wounded in action, which Kyiv now claims to be about 942,000 since 24 February 2022.
These losses, while doubtless inflated, are thought relatively close to the numbers actually sustained by Russia, which has embarked on a new conscription drive to build up its forces, likely to enable combat capable units not deployed into Ukraine to be sent into the warzone.
In addition. Ukraine claimed to have inflicted significant amounts of damage to Russian hardware, citing the destruction of 17 tanks, 16 armoured fighting vehicles, 129 artillery systems, and 239 UAVs, among other platforms, during the Easter weekend.
While it is impossible to immediately verify each side’s claims of truce and ceasefire violations, the level of combat losses points to sustained operations during the Ukraine Easter truce. Ukraine’s claims of Russian losses during Easter are about 75% of what was reported a week earlier, which ran to over 3,700 personnel.
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By GlobalDataRussia’s military machine has suffered significantly since the 2022 large-scale invasion of Ukraine, with tens of thousands of tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and artillery systems destroyed in combat.
Ukraine’s own losses are a closely held state secret but will certainly represent a significant portion of in-service equipment, including losses to vehicles like the M1A1 Abrams, Challenger 2, and Leopard 2 tanks, provided by Western backers. Combat casualties are likely in the hundreds of thousands, with the country looking at ways to incentivise recruitment in 2025.
UK warns of “expansionist Russian nationalism”
Meanwhile, in a 21 April social media post on X, the UK Ministry of Defence has warned of what it termed the “politicisation and militarisation” of Russia’s educational system, citing recent reports of a move by Moscow to place greater emphasis on nationalistic policies among young generations.
In addition, Russia’s 2024 ‘Youth Strategy’ intended to increase the prestige of military service and increase the willingness of the country’s youth to join the armed forces, the MoD claimed.
“It is likely that the politicisation and militarisation of Russian education, coupled with increasing ideological indoctrination of Russian children and young people more broadly, will perpetuate aggressive, expansionist Russian nationalism in the longer term,” the UK MoD stated.
