Bloomberg: Russia's September losses exceeded 50 thousand

Bloomberg: Russia's casualties in September exceeded 50 thousand

According to DW, citing Bloomberg, a NATO representative stated that the number of killed Russian military personnel reached up to 28 thousand people. Thus, the estimate of more than 50 thousand casualties includes not only the dead, but also the wounded.

A source in the Alliance indicated the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the same period at nearly 5 thousand people. However, the reported account does not clarify whether this figure covers only the dead or also the wounded.

Bloomberg wrote that Russian troops are sending military personnel into "death zones" to achieve results in the offensive. By this term, the agency meant areas where drones, landmines, artillery, and other defensive means are widely used.

The material also noted that Russia's war expenses are increasing. According to Bloomberg's estimates, by the end of 2026, Moscow's military spending is expected to approach 17 trillion rubles — nearly 178 billion euros.

This is approximately 40 percent higher than the initial figures announced by Russian officials at the end of 2025.

Martin Jäger, head of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND), stated last week that the continuation of the war makes it difficult for Vladimir Putin to stop it without political losses.

Earlier in August, The Guardian reported that Russia's monthly military casualties exceeded the number of new recruits to the army by nearly 6 thousand people.

One of the Western officials who spoke to the publication emphasized that the possibilities to compensate for high casualties through recruiting new military personnel are limited. In his opinion, this partially explains Russia's tactic of intensifying attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure.

The official stated that Moscow is attempting to break the morale of Ukrainians in the winter by destroying energy infrastructure.