As the Russian invasion of Ukraine drags on into a second month, a NATO official estimates that between 7,000 and 15,000 Russian troops have been killed in the conflict. Overall, he said that up to 40,000 Russian soldiers have died or were injured, captured, or are considered missing in action.
The official, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Associated Press that the estimates were based on information for the Ukrainian government, data from the Russian government, and intelligence gathered from open sources. He said the casualty numbers were based on a calculation that there are three wounded soldiers for every soldier killed on the battlefield.
Earlier in the week, the Pentagon estimated that Russia has lost more than 10% of its combat force.
Russian forces have faced stiff opposition from Ukrainian troops and have been unable to take control of any major cities. Russia suffered another setback after the Ukraine Defense Ministry claimed that Russian soldiers had been driven out of Makariv, a small suburb in Kyiv that provides control to a key highway into the capital.