A terrible May, marked by a thousand dead or wounded Russian soldiers. According to the New York Times, last month Mosca suffered significant losses due to Ukraine due to waves of frontal attacks. The data comes from Western intelligence including those of the United States and the United Kingdom. British military intelligence estimated the casualty rate at 1,200 per day in May, the highest reported since the war began. The total number of dead or wounded in Russia since it launched the invasion in February 2022 now stands at around 500,000 soldiers. There are those who are more cautious about the numbers, such as the United States Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, who spoke of 350,000.
The meat grinder tactic
The reported increase in casualties in May came as Russia stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian positions in the region of Kharkivon the border with Russia in northern Ukraine. The blame for this very high death toll is due to Russian frontal attacks, known as the “meat grinder” tactic. The attacks were used by Russia last year in brutal battles to take control of cities in Avdiikva e Bakhmutbut U.S. officials told the Times they are now having much less success.
The problem of recruits
However, U.S. officials told the Times that Russia has been able to rebuild its troop levels, recruiting 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers a month, while Ukraine is struggling to find new recruits. Ukraine said in February that it believed 31,000 of its troops had been killed since the war began, but Western intelligence officials told the Washington Post that the number is likely much higher.
The Russia it offered relatively lucrative contracts to new recruits, conscripted thousands of prisoners into the army, and hired foreign mercenaries to replace its losses. In September 2022, Russia conscripted 300,000 civilians into the military, but the Kremlin is unlikely to need to launch another draft in the near future, U.S. officials told the Times.
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