October 2026 was the deadliest month for Russia's army since the full-scale invasion began
Ukraine's General Staff reports that Russia lost 54,400 troops killed and wounded in October 2026, the highest monthly figure since the full-scale war began. The numbers cannot be independently verified, as Russia does not disclose its losses.
Ukraine's Armed Forces General Staff says October 2026 was the bloodiest month for the Russian army since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine: Russia lost 54,400 troops killed and wounded. The previous record was set in December 2024, at 48,670. The analysis was published by the Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda.
Losses are rising
Losses have grown almost every month. In February Russia lost an average of 932 troops a day; in October the figure was 1,755. Since the start of the year the total stands at 383,800. If the pace holds, 2026 will surpass 2024 by the end of November. So far 2024 has been the hardest year for the Russian army, with 430,790 losses.
On 1 November alone the General Staff recorded 2,500 losses, the most in a single day since the invasion began. The previous daily record, 2,250, was logged on 21 October. The sharp rise began in the summer: from January to May Russia lost 26,000–34,000 a month, from June more than 39,000, and from September more than 46,000.
Can the figures be checked?
Russia does not disclose its losses, and the General Staff does not explain how it counts, so the numbers cannot be verified directly. External estimates were used for comparison. For September, NATO estimated more than 50,000 losses, up to 28,000 of them killed; the General Staff gave 46,230 for the same month.
The US think tank CSIS estimates that from February 2022 to December 2025 Russia lost about 1.2 million troops killed, wounded and missing; the General Staff counted 1,208,970. CSIS puts the number killed at 275,000–325,000. British intelligence said in May that deaths were close to half a million, while the BBC Russian Service and Mediazona have identified 285,023 dead by name, which researchers say is only 45–55% of the real toll.
Equipment
Russia now loses 3–4 times fewer tanks and armoured vehicles per day than in 2024, but far more drones: over 1,600 a day versus 40. In the first 10 months of 2026, more artillery systems were destroyed than in any previous year of the war.
