Russia projected to lose another 1.8 million troops in Ukraine war

Russia stands to lose 1.8 million troops if it takes four oblasts in Ukraine, the UK's army chief said.Moscow has designated Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia as its own territory.

But its current attrition rate means it will take five years to succeed, Gen. Sir Roly Walker said.

Gen. Sir Roly Walker said he'd based his estimation on the "current rate of attrition of dead and wounded" faced by Moscow's forces in Ukraine, according to UK media.

He'd been answering questions on Sunday at the 2024 Land Warfare Conference run by the British think tank Royal United Services Institute.

"That puts them probably well north of 1.5 million people — casualties — to achieve that with untold billions of lost equipment," said Walker, per The Times of London.

"If they carry on as they are, it would probably take the Russians five years to grind their way to their minimum objectives of the four oblasts," he added, referring to Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.