Russia set a record for losses in October, and Ukraine took back more land than it lost

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on November 1st that Russia suffered its highest number of troop losses in a single month during their ongoing full-scale war. Ukraine also reclaimed more territory than Russia gained, according to the President.

In October, Russia lost 54,400 troops killed or wounded, which is the highest monthly casualty count since the invasion began in 2023. The previous record in December 2024 saw 48,670 casualties. On October 21st, Russia experienced its costliest day, losing 2,250 troops. On average, Russia faced 1,755 losses each day of the month.

To put the losses into perspective, the General Staff compared the toll to the entire population of a remote Russian region in the Far East. It's also equivalent to the number of soldiers marching in nine Red Square parades or the amount of troops that could fill about 200 Moscow subway cars.

Despite the steep losses, Ukraine's Defense Forces liberated 96.2 square kilometers of land in October, which is 10.4 square kilometers more than Russia captured during the same period. This means Russia's territorial gains for the month were only 85.8 square kilometers.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy praised his troops, urging Russia to end the aggression through diplomacy and ceasefires. He further noted that Russia only needs to choose a ceasefire and diplomatic solution to stop the escalating losses.