Russia Has Suffered More than 75,000 Casualties in Ukraine War So Far, U.S. Reportedly Estimates

SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Russian invasion of Ukraine

In a classified briefing on Capitol Hill among Biden administration officials and House lawmakers, representatives from both parties were reportedly informed that 75,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the field since Putin's invasion of sovereign Ukraine in late February.

If the number is accurate — reports pertaining to casualties for both the Ukrainian armed forces and the Kremlin's forces have been fairly speculative — it would represent a catastrophic blow to an invasion that has already failed to accomplish its main objectives.

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Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan allegedly told CNN's Melanie Zanona that she was informed in a private meeting with officials from the State Department, Department of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that over 75,000 Russian casualties are believed to have ensued since the commencement of the war.

Previous estimates of the amount of Russian forces and Russian mercenaries in Ukraine ranged as high as 150,000 only a couple months ago, meaning potentially more than half are unable to fight anymore.

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Slotkin also noted that "over 80% of their land forces are bogged down, and they're tired," corroborating reports coming from Ukraine that Russian forces have been stalled for months now.

A pivotal factor has been the Russian army's morale and camaraderie, which has been said to be incredibly low especially after reports that Russian forces didn't even know they were going to fight in Ukraine at the onset of the war.

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Both Russia and Ukraine have presumably underreported their losses to the international community. Russia needs to keep its propaganda machine running to ensure domestic support for the war, and Ukraine has an interest in reporting low causality numbers to boost and maintain enthusiasm.

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Although the 75,000 tally could be significantly higher or minimally lower than the actual casualty mark, it reflects the disastrous approach to the war by Putin and his top generals.