NATO assessed the losses of the Russian army in September: the offensive is becoming increasingly costly

The Russian army lost over 50,000 servicemen killed and wounded in Ukraine in September 2026. The number of killed could have reached 28,000. According to NATO estimates, Russian losses significantly exceed Ukrainian ones.

Bloomberg reported this, citing a high-ranking military official of the Alliance who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity.

According to the agency's source, the Russian command continues to conduct offensive operations despite significant personnel losses. Servicemen are sent to front-line areas where they come under strikes from Ukrainian drones, artillery, and run into minefields.

The NATO representative also estimated Ukrainian military losses for September at approximately 5,000 people. Thus, according to the data he cited, Russian losses were about ten times greater. At the same time, it is impossible to independently verify these estimates, and there is no official breakdown of the losses of both armies for this period.

NATO estimates differ somewhat from the statistics of the Ukrainian General Staff. According to data released on October 1, Russia lost 46,230 servicemen in September. This is the highest monthly figure since the beginning of 2026.

For comparison, in August the Ukrainian command estimated enemy losses at 42,020 people, in July - 42,860, and in January - 31,710. Therefore, since the beginning of the year, monthly losses of the Russian army, according to Ukrainian calculations, increased by almost 46%.

The increase in losses is occurring against the background of limited territorial results of the Russian offensive. Analysts of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) previously noted that Ukrainian counterattacks on the Lyman and other directions allowed the Defense Forces to regain some territories and disrupt individual offensive plans of the Russian command.

According to Bloomberg, Ukrainian troops regained control over more than 125 square kilometers of territory during one of the recent ground operations. At the same time, Ukraine continues to carry out long-range strikes on Russian economic infrastructure objects, including oil refining enterprises.

High losses are accompanied by an increase in Russian military spending. According to Bloomberg, Russia's defense expenditures in 2026 could approach 17 trillion rubles, or about 199 billion dollars. This is almost 40% more than the initial government plan at the end of 2025.

The Russian authorities do not publish reliable statistics on killed and wounded servicemen, as well as complete data on army reinforcements. Therefore, it is impossible to establish the exact scale of losses and the possibilities of their compensation from open sources.

Based on materials from: Bloomberg, General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Institute for the Study of War (ISW)