October becomes deadliest month for Russian army since start of full-scale war, Ukraine says

Ukraine's General Staff has reported that Russia's army lost 54,400 troops killed and wounded in October 2026. That exceeds the previous monthly record of 48,670 set in December 2024. The figures come from the Ukrainian side and were published by the outlet Ukrainska Pravda, which compared them with other estimates.

Losses are rising

In February Russia lost an average of 932 troops a day; in October the figure was 1,755. Since the start of 2026 the total stands at 383,800. If the pace holds, this year will surpass 2024, so far the heaviest year for the Russian army, by the end of November. On 1 November alone the General Staff recorded 2,500 losses, the most in a single day since the full-scale invasion began. The previous daily record, 2,250, was logged on 21 October.

Russia does not disclose its losses, and the General Staff does not explain its counting method, so the numbers cannot be checked directly. NATO estimated that in September Russia lost more than 50,000 troops, up to 28,000 of them killed; the General Staff counted 46,230 for that month.

Independent estimates

The US think tank CSIS estimates that from February 2022 to December 2025 Russia lost about 1.2 million troops killed, wounded or missing. The General Staff reported 1,208,970 for the same period. CSIS puts deaths at 275,000–325,000. BBC's Russian service and Mediazona have identified 285,023 dead by name, which researchers say is only 45–55% of the real number.

Equipment

Russia loses three to four times fewer tanks and armoured vehicles per day than in 2024, but far more drones: over 1,600 a day against 40. More artillery systems were destroyed in the first ten months of 2026 than in any previous year of the war.