The Russian military has gained the upper hand in Ukraine despite more than 350,000 casualties since the war began, according to recent intelligence reports. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the current average daily number of killed and wounded Russian soldiers is 983, the highest daily casualty rate for Moscow since President Vladimir Putin launched his “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022. The increase reflects Russia’s use of mass or attritional warfare, which involves mobilizing a large number of soldiers to carry out assaults with almost no cover. The UK MoD report noted that, although costly in terms of human life, the resulting effect has increased the pressure on Ukraine’s position across the frontline.
The Association of the US Army (AUSA) recently published a paper that claimed Russia is gaining the upper hand in Ukraine. Invading forces now control some key Ukrainian territories and are not likely to be pushed back by anything other than brutal land warfare. At present, Kyiv cannot afford such warfare given its dwindling military supplies, the paper stated. Norway’s intelligence service made a similar observation, saying Moscow is currently in a stronger position than it was a year ago and is now moving toward gaining a strategic advantage.
