Russia hits Poltava energy grid and industrial plant

On September 16, Ukraine's General Staff reported that Russia has suffered approximately 1,511,530 casualties in its invasion of Ukraine since February 24, 2022. This includes the 1,530 Russian troops killed in the preceding day. The losses extend to military hardware, with 12,345 tanks, 25,339 armored combat vehicles, 149,557 vehicles and fuel tanks, and 49,820 artillery systems also falling into Russian hands.

Additionally, the report details Ukraine's losses in aircraft, helicopters, unmanned ground systems, drones, naval vessels, and submarines. The intensity of Russian drone attacks has hindered Ukraine's ability to recover fallen soldiers, a factor that complicates efforts to confirm identities through DNA testing.

Ukraine has not disclosed its own casualties during the conflict, citing operational secrecy. Independent Western estimates, including those from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), place Russia's losses significantly higher, with a ratio of roughly 2.5 to 1. The CSIS's 2026 report suggests Ukraine may have suffered between 500,000 to 600,000 casualties overall, with at least 55,000 killed in action and many more missing in action.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that at least 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the start of the war, alongside a significant number of missing soldiers.