“Zhukovshchina” and the mobilization of migrants: the Russian army suffers colossal losses during the offensive

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, over the past 24 hours, the Defense Forces have eliminated another 920 Russian soldiers and over 460 units of weapons and military equipment of the occupiers.

Thus, the total combat losses of the Russians from 02/24/22 to 07/10/25 were approximately: personnel – about 1,030,580 (+920) people.

I would like to note that over the past 34 years of its existence, the Russian Federation has participated in various armed conflicts, but there have been no such catastrophic losses as in the war with Ukraine. Transnistria, two Chechen campaigns, the war against Georgia — all these wars do not compare to the losses in the war against Ukraine.

The Russian Federation is using tactics from the Second World War, known as “Zhukovism.” Or what the Russians themselves call “we won’t stand for the price, women are still giving birth.” The total mobilization reserve of the occupying country is about 20 million, so to say that the Russian command values the lives of its own soldiers is completely contrary to the nature of the fighting, namely the tactics of “meat assaults” or “banzai attacks.”

A vivid example of such “banzai attacks” is the attempted offensive of the invaders in the area of Kindrativka, Sumy region. Where there were certain tactical successes, the invaders suffered significant losses in manpower. Of the 100 attack aircraft that participated in the offensive on the positions of the Defense Forces of Ukraine, according to the Russian side itself, only 8 remained alive, who were again thrown onto the line of combat contact for disposal.

It is worth noting that during the three years of the war against Ukraine, Russia has lost thousands of elite military personnel. The special forces brigades of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, airborne divisions, special operations forces, pilots, and marine brigades are the units that make up the core of the Russian army. Years and millions of dollars have been spent on their training.

The losses of the invaders in the Pokrovsky direction alone can be compared with the losses of the Russians during the Second Chechen War. According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, in January alone, more than 15,000 invaders were destroyed in the Pokrovsky direction, of which about 7,000 were irretrievably killed (the so-called “two hundred”). And for the entire period of the Second Chechen War, the losses of the Russian army amounted to more than 6,000.

The 83rd Ussuri Marine Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces suffered the greatest losses in the battles in the Kursk region – about 400 servicemen were killed and wounded out of 480 who arrived in the Kursk region. The situation with combat losses of personnel is similar in the 155th Marine Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces.

Estimates of the losses of the 155th Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet — about 80% of the personnel, or 2,500 people — confirm the scale of the losses. Russia also lost at least 10 generals and more than half a thousand officers, which significantly weakens the command and coordination of the army.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, since August 6, 2024, the Russian army in the Kursk region has lost more than 62,000 soldiers killed and wounded.

It is specified that the losses of the Russian army in the operational zone of the Kursk group of forces are: personnel – 62.4 thousand people, of which 25.2 thousand were irretrievable, and medical personnel – 36.2 thousand. Another 983 servicemen of the aggressor army were taken prisoner.

The occupiers have a lot of “cannon fodder”. There are practically no combat units left. And the last vivid example is the transfer of an FSB regiment to the Kramatorsk front. This was already a big blow to the combat capability of the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

The Kremlin was forced to replace the army elite with hundreds of thousands of civilians and prisoners who were promised to be released for participating in the war.

Let me remind you that on the day of the so-called “rebellion” of Prigozhin, Putin signed a decree on the possibility of concluding contracts with the Ministry of Defense for persons convicted of certain crimes. That is, convicts. If earlier such a special contingent was recruited personally by Prigozhin and his PMC, now the monopoly on this belongs exclusively to the state. With his decree, Putin actually launched another wave of covert mobilization.

Despite Putin’s statements that Russia does not need foreign mercenaries, the Kremlin is actively attracting military personnel from North Korea and mercenaries from other countries. At the moment, several dozen facts of the death of citizens of African countries have already been confirmed. These are primarily Somalia, Sudan. There are reports of the death of citizens of Nepal.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is recruiting in these countries, promising a salary of $500-700. This is the minimum salary, taking into account the financial support of the military personnel of the occupation army. In this way, they are trying to fill the opportunities for replenishment of personnel without conducting either partial or total mobilization in Russia.

According to the latest British intelligence data, North Korean troops have suffered more than 6,000 casualties in offensive combat operations against Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of Russia. According to these data, the total number of casualties is more than half of the approximately 11,000 North Korean troops initially deployed in the Kursk region.

To compensate for the colossal losses in manpower, the Russian occupation army is replenished through actual raids on residents of Central Asian states and labor migrants on the territory of the aggressor country.

According to calculations by the analytical service of the audit and consulting network FinExpertiza, based on data from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, 11.8 million cases of foreign workers being registered for migration were recorded in 2022. This statistic includes both the extension of registration of those who have been living in Russia for several years and initial registration.

Currently, raids are being carried out across the vast territory of the Russian Federation on residents of Central Asian states, so-called labor migrants, who are caught and given a choice: either you are deported back to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, or you sign a corresponding decree with the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

According to information directly from the scene, Moscow authorities have opened a draft office in the Sakharovo migration center. It is significant that a significant number of labor migrants with Russian passports have been banned from leaving Russia because they are on mobilization lists.

Russia is currently recruiting additional forces to support costly wave attacks in an attempt to weaken Ukrainian defenses. However, the need for constant replenishment of personnel on the front lines will almost certainly continue to limit Russia’s ability to form units with a higher level of combat capability.

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