Russia has been successful in rebuilding its military after suffering tremendous losses during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a US official has claimed.
Speaking during an event hosted by the Center for a New American Security, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell stated that they have been monitoring Moscow over the last few months to assess if it has regained its strength. He said invading forces have “almost completely reconstituted,” thanks to the significant surge in its defense spending since the war broke out in February 2022. The support of its closest allies in China, North Korea, and Iran has also helped Russia endure economic and military setbacks in the last two years, Campbell stated. “We’ve really seen the [People’s Republic of China] start to help to rebuild Russia’s defense industrial base, essentially backfilling the trade from European partners,” he remarked. Last year, speculation surfaced about Beijing and Pyongyang considering arming its European ally in response to the shipment of Western weapons to Ukraine.
As of March 2024, Russia has likely suffered more than 350,000 casualties in Ukraine due to Kyiv’s heavy resistance, according to a UK Ministry of Defence intelligence report. The average daily number of killed and wounded Russian soldiers currently stands at 983, the highest since the invasion began. Additionally, Moscow has reportedly lost 2,619 of the nearly 3,000 tanks it initially deployed to Ukraine. US intelligence officials previously claimed the invading forces might need a decade to fully recover, considering the enormous losses it had sustained. But Campbell’s latest assessment fuels speculation that Russia is recuperating faster than expected and on schedule for its alleged plan to attack a NATO member by 2026.
