Russia has sustained over 600,000 casualties since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Defense News reported on Oct. 9, citing senior Pentagon officials.

. . .

The accelerating losses are disproportionate with Moscow’s territorial gains, a senior U.S. defense official said on Oct. 9.

“Russian losses, again both killed and wounded in action, in just the first year of the war exceeded the total of all Soviet losses in any conflict since World War II combined,” the official said.

The mounting casualties at the front may hinder the Russian military’s recruitment efforts, the official said, putting pressure on the Kremlin to initiate a new wave of mobilization.

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  • PugJesus@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    1 out of every ~200 Russians, overwhelmingly young, formerly healthy men, are now seriously wounded or dead because of Putin’s ill-conceived ambitions. Christ.

    For reference, the last time the US lost anywhere CLOSE to that proportion of its population in war was WW2.

    • Drusas@fedia.io
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      3 months ago

      And this is why the government is now restricting birth control. Need more soldiers for the grinder.

      • Hawke@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        I think if they drag the war out so long that kids not even conceived today are potential soldiers, then soldiers will be the least of their problems.

        • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          It’s also about the economic impact of loosing that many people.

          I don’t know of many places where polygamy is tolerated, and unless they go that route, if they lose 20% of their male population…. That’s a 20% reduction in that generation’s children too.

          Granted, I wouldn’t put it past Putin/the kremlin to get single women preggo by force. Assholes.

        • lurch (he/him)@sh.itjust.works
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          3 months ago

          the russians are probably doing this thinking of the time after the war. better start asap while they send so many to their death.

        • Zron@lemmy.world
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          3 months ago

          The US did it.

          We were invading the Middle East since before I was born, and I almost signed up to get free school when I wanted to be a doctor. I would have likely treated soldiers that were still being wounded in the Middle East.

          • Hawke@lemmy.world
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            3 months ago

            Oh, totally. Afghanistan had multiple generations tied up in it, which is horrendous.

            However, the US also didn’t take nearly the losses that Russia is throwing “into the grinder” as the parent post puts it.

      • Valmond@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Their birth rates are really low too 1.35 IIRC ? You need 2.1 to stay stable.

        Add a million young IT guys and other that just left…

        • Drusas@fedia.io
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          3 months ago

          Can confirm. My graduate CS class was almost entirely young men from China. There were two or three young women from China as well. And, including myself, I think three non-international students (all of us Caucasian).

          International students are very profitable for universities, and there are a lot of young Chinese men applying for them in the US. And Australia, from what I’ve read.

          Serious brain drain.