Thus, the total combat losses of Russian personnel from February 24, 2022, to July 10, 2025, are approximately 1,030,580 (+920) personnel.Over the last 34 years, Russia has been involved in various armed conflicts, but none have seen catastrophic losses like the war against Ukraine. The wars in Transnistria, two Chechen campaigns, and the war against Georgia pale in comparison to the losses in the war against Ukraine.Russia is employing tactics reminiscent of World War II, known as "Zhukovism." The Russians themselves refer to it as "we won't hold back on price, women will give birth to more." The total mobilization reserve of the occupying country is about 20 million, so the idea that Russian command values the lives of its soldiers is completely contradictory to the nature of the fighting tactics, which are characterized by "meat assaults" or "banzai attacks."A striking example of such "banzai attacks" is the attempted advance of the invaders in the Kindratovka area of Ukraine's Sumy region. Where certain tactical successes were achieved, they came at the cost of significant losses in personnel. Of the 100 stormtroopers who participated in the assault on the positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, only 8 survived, according to Russian sources. These survivors were again thrown into the line of battle for further casualties.Over the three years of the war against Ukraine, Russia has lost thousands of elite soldiers. The Special Forces brigades of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, the Airborne divisions, Special Operations Forces, pilots, and Marine brigades make up the core of the Russian army. Their training took years and millions of dollars.The losses of the invaders in the Pokrovsk direction alone can be compared to the losses of the Russian army in the Second Chechen War. According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, over 15,000 invaders were destroyed in January in the Pokrovsk direction, of which about 7,000 were irrecoverable (so-called "two hundred"). For the entire period of the Second Chechen War, the Russian army's losses amounted to over 6,000.The heaviest losses in the battles in the Kursk region were suffered by the 83rd Ussuri Marine Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces, with around 400 soldiers killed and wounded out of the 480 that arrived in the Kursk area. A similar situation occurred with the combat losses of personnel in the 155th Marine Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces.The loss estimates for the 155th Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet — around 80% of personnel, or 2,500 soldiers — confirm the scale of the losses. Russia has also lost at least 10 generals and over 500 officers, significantly weakening the command and coordination of the army.According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, since August 6, 2024, the Russian army in the Kursk region has lost over 62,000 soldiers killed and wounded.It is specified that the losses of the Russian army in the operational zone of the "Kursk" grouping are: 62,400 personnel, of which 25,200 are irrecoverable, 36,200 are sanitary losses. Another 983 soldiers of the aggressor's army were taken prisoner."Canon fodder" is abundant among the invaders. Combat units are practically non-existent. The latest vivid example is the deployment of an FSB regiment to the Kramatorsk front. This was a significant blow to the combat effectiveness of the Russian Armed Forces.To replenish the elite of the army, the Kremlin has been forced to turn to hundreds of thousands of civilians and convicts, whom they promised to free in exchange for participating in the war.On the day of the so-called "mutiny" of Prigozhin, Putin signed a decree allowing the Ministry of Defense to contract individuals convicted of certain crimes. In other words, convicts. Previously, such a special contingent was recruited by Prigozhin and his PMC, but now the monopoly on this belongs exclusively to the state. With his decree, Putin effectively started another wave of covert mobilization.Despite Putin's statements that Russia does not need foreign mercenaries, the Kremlin is actively recruiting soldiers from North Korea and mercenaries from other countries. At this point, several dozen cases of deaths of citizens from African countries, particularly Somalia and Sudan, have been confirmed. There are reports of the deaths of citizens from Nepal.The Russian Ministry of Defense is recruiting in these countries, promising salaries of $500-700. This is the minimum salary level, considering the pay of soldiers in the occupying army. This is their way of trying to fill the ranks without conducting partial or total mobilization within Russia.According to the latest data from UK intelligence, North Korean troops have suffered over 6,000 losses in offensive combat operations against Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of Russia. According to this data, the total number of losses is more than half of the approximately 11,000 North Korean soldiers who were initially deployed to the Kursk region.To compensate for the colossal losses in personnel, the composition of the Russian occupying army is being replenished by conducting raids on the residents of Central Asian states — labor migrants within the territory of the aggressor country.According to calculations by the analytical service of the audit and consulting network FinExpertiza, based on data from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, 11.8 million cases of foreign workers being registered in migration records were recorded in 2022. This includes both the continuation of registration for those living in Russia for several years and the initial registration.Currently, across the vast territory of Russia, raids are being carried out on residents of Central Asian states, so-called labor migrants, who are being caught and given the choice: either be deported back to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, or sign a contract with the Russian Armed Forces.According to direct reports from the scene, the Moscow authorities have opened a recruitment center in the Sakharovo migration center. Significantly, many labor migrants with Russian passports have been banned from leaving Russia due to their inclusion in the mobilization lists.Currently, Russia continues to recruit additional forces to support wave attacks, trying to weaken the Ukrainian defense. However, the need for constant replenishment of personnel on the front lines is almost certain to continue limiting Russia's ability to form units with higher combat readiness.Exclusively for EspresoAbout the author: Dmytro Sniehyrov, military expert, co-chairman of the "Prava Sprava" non-profit.The editorial team does not always share the views expressed by blog and column authors.