Overview
- The CSIS study estimates roughly 1.8 million combined military casualties since February 2022, with the total projected to approach 2 million by spring 2026 if fighting continues.
- Russian forces account for about 1.2 million casualties, including an estimated 275,000–325,000 killed, while Ukrainian losses are put at 500,000–600,000 with approximately 100,000–140,000 deaths.
- Casualty figures remain contested and imprecise, with the Kremlin rejecting the CSIS numbers and independent name-based counts providing lower minimums.
- Russian attacks continued with at least six people reported killed Thursday in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Kryvyi Rih, a passenger-train strike death toll in Kharkiv rising to six, and 105 drones launched overnight as Ukraine reports widespread power and heat outages during an extreme cold snap.
- After President Trump said Putin agreed to a one-week pause, officials still reported new strikes; the EU announced €145 million in emergency humanitarian aid, the IAEA Board convened on Ukraine’s nuclear situation, and Ukraine said Russia returned 1,000 bodies described as fallen Ukrainian soldiers.