Russia’s battlefield casualties fell to their lowest monthly figure this year in May, suggesting a slowdown in frontline offensives as Kyiv steps up pressure on Moscow with bold cross-border strikes, the UK Ministry of Defence has said.
Ukraine has raised the stakes in the three-year-long war by launching audacious attacks on strategic Russian assets — strikes seen as an embarrassing setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Sunday, Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian air bases reportedly damaged more than 40 bomber jets and destroyed 13, according to Kyiv.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian forces said they targeted the Kerch Bridge, which links Russia to the occupied Crimean Peninsula, using explosives planted underwater.
Built after Moscow’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, the 19-kilometer bridge was inaugurated by Putin in 2018 and serves as a critical supply and transport route for Russian forces occupying southern Ukraine.
In an intelligence update released on Tuesday, the UK Ministry of Defence said that Russian forces recorded around 34,500 casualties last month, a sharp drop from 48,000 in January, marking a 28% decrease.
It is also the lowest monthly figure recorded in a year. The decline is likely linked to reduced Russian activity along the frontline in early 2025, the ministry said.
Russia nears 1 million casualties
However, despite the slowdown, Moscow is still losing an estimated 1,000 personnel per day.
“By the end of May 2025, Russia likely incurred approximately 980,000 casualties (killed and wounded) since launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022,” the UK Ministry of Defence said, citing data from Ukrainian General Staff.
“Casualty rates will highly likely increase if Russia increases its attacks across the frontline in Ukraine,” it added.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Putin told him “very strongly” that Moscow intends to retaliate for the recent Ukrainian strikes when the two leaders spoke by phone on Wednesday.