A Toll Without Precedent Since 1945: Russia's Losses in Ukraine, in Historical Context

Chart 1. Russia's wounded in Ukraine alone (around 950,000) outnumber the American dead or wounded of any single U.S. war — more than the dead of the Civil War counting both sides, and more than the wounded of the Second World War. The Civil War bar combines Union and Confederate losses; every other bar is one nation's. Russian figures are central estimates, and Soviet WWII losses are off this scale. Sources: U.S. DoD/VA, National Archives & National WWII Museum; J. D. Hacker; CSIS; U.K. MoD.

Chart 2. Total military casualties — killed and wounded. Russia's losses in Ukraine (~1.25M) set against U.S. losses in the Second World War and Vietnam combined (~1.3M). Sources: U.S. DoD/VA; CSIS; U.K. MoD.

Chart 3. In absolute terms Russia has lost about twice as many men — but its pre-war population was roughly three and a half times Ukraine's, so relative to population Ukraine's losses run heavier: around 13 casualties for every 1,000 people, against about 8 for Russia. Central estimates; ranges in the source note. Sources: CSIS; UALosses; Ukraine State Statistics Service; UN.

Chart 4. Net change in Russian-held territory, by approximate month; figures reflect ISW's post–May 2, 2026 methodology. Source: Institute for the Study of War, via Russia Matters.

Chart 5. Russia's war has now run about as long as the First World War, and longer than the Second World War lasted for either the United States or the Soviet Union. The Russia–Ukraine figure is measured from February 24, 2022, and is ongoing. Source: standard historical dating.

Chart 6. Average military deaths per month over each war's full duration; multi-combatant wars shown per country. Russia's rate is a war-long average and has risen sharply over time. Sources: Krivosheev; WWI official tallies; J. D. Hacker / U.S. census studies; U.S. National Archives & National WWII Museum; CSIS; U.K. MoD.