Military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko discussed the issue on his Telegram channel.In a surprising twist on the battlefield, Russian forces are experiencing a paradox: while their overall casualty numbers have been steadily declining since March 2025, the proportion of irrecoverable losses—soldiers killed in action—has soared to unprecedented levels. This shift is putting immense pressure on military leadership to push for a nationwide mobilization.Earlier predictions suggested that Russia would rely heavily on infantry in 2025, requiring a tactical shift to inflict greater personnel losses on the enemy. However, the expected adaptation to new combat strategies has not materialized. Russian losses dropped from over 41,000 in March to just 27,350 in July, with no record-high casualties reported this month.Yet beneath these seemingly positive statistics lies a troubling reality. Unlike typical wartime ratios, where wounded outnumber the dead by several times, Russian forces now face the opposite: for every three soldiers killed, only one is wounded—a dramatic reversal from previous years. In the past, about half of the casualties were wounded, many of whom could return to duty within a month. Now, that number has dwindled to just a fraction, with only about 1,000 lightly wounded able to rejoin the ranks.Voluntary mobilization efforts in Russia have failed to keep pace with these mounting losses, prompting authorities to intensify recruitment efforts, including targeting migrants who have recently received Russian citizenship. Even these measures have proven insufficient to fill the growing gap left by irrecoverable losses.As the autumn-winter campaign of 2025-2026 approaches, Russian commanders are confronted with a stark choice: launch a full-scale mobilization or risk further depletion of their fighting force. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces retain the opportunity to increase Russian losses in the coming months, potentially shifting the balance as the next phase of the conflict looms.Over the past day, the invading Russian army lost more than 1,000 troops, along with hundreds of units of equipment and weaponry.