Russians continue to suffer heavy losses despite slower pace of advance – ISW

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said this in a new report, Ukrinform reports.

"The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (MoD) reported on February 3 that Russian forces suffered 48,240 casualties – over three Russian motorized rifle divisions worth of personnel – in January 2025, making January the second-highest month of losses since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022," ISW analysts said.

According to the report, over the past month, Russian forces gained roughly 498 square kilometers in January in Ukraine and the Kursk region, or roughly 16.1 square kilometers per day.

"The available figures suggest Russian forces suffered roughly 96 casualties per square kilometer of territory seized," ISW analysts added.

The Ukrainian MoD reported that Russian forces suffered 48,670 casualties in December 2024 – their highest monthly casualty rate since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion – and ISW assessed that Russian forces gained a total of 593 square kilometers in December 2024.

"The roughly 100-square-kilometer decrease in seized territory between December 2024 and January 2025, coupled with a similar monthly casualty rate, indicates that Russian forces are taking the same high level of losses despite achieving fewer territorial advances in the near term," the analysts said.

On February 3, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that Russian troops had significantly limited their use of heavy equipment during assault operations.