Charted: Ukraine Is Russia’s Third Deadliest War

The New Diplomat
Writer

Ad

Amid alleged 23bn fraud: Ibas Kicks Off Transition to Democratic Governance in Rivers with Thanksgiving Service

By Abiola Olawale The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd), has announced that the state is officially set to commence its transition process from emergency administration. This is as Ibas announced that the transition process will begin with an inter-denominational thanksgiving service scheduled for Sunday, September 14, 2024. This comes as…

How Nigeria raked in N7.46 trillion trade surplus in Q2 2025, NBS reveals

By Abiola Olawale The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has announced that Nigeria achieved a trade surplus of N7.46 trillion in the second quarter of 2025 (Q2 2025). NBS explained that this figure underscores the country's growing export prowess, particularly in key sectors such as mineral fuels and machinery. The latest NBS report, titled Foreign…

Ad

Key Takeaways

  • The full-scale invasion of Ukraine has become Russia’s third deadliest conflict, trailing only the two world wars in lives lost.
  • Russian fatalities in Ukraine already dwarf those from Soviet-era interventions such as Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Hungary.

This chart ranks estimated Russian fatalities in selected wars, showing where the current invasion of Ukraine fits in historical context. It highlights that today’s fighting has eclipsed every Russian war since 1945 in combat deaths—and the numbers are still climbing.

The data for this visualization comes from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). CSIS estimates that between 200,000 and 250,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine since February 2022, with total casualties—killed and wounded—approaching one million.

That puts the war behind only World War II (8.7 million Russian deaths) and World War I (2.3 million) in the table of Russian military losses. Because hostilities remain active, the final toll could rise even further.

War Time Estimated Fatalities
World War II 1939–1945 8.7M
World War I 1914–1918 2.3M
Ukraine 2022–2025 200K
Afghanistan 1979–1989 14K
Chechnya 1994–1996, 1999–2009 12K
Ukraine 2014–2022 6K
Hungary 1956 669
Syria 2015-2025 264
Korea 1950–1953 120
Czechoslovakia 1968 96
Georgia 2008 64
Sino-Soviet Conflict 1969 58
Ethiopia 1977–1990 34
Algeria 1962–1964 25
United Arab Republic 1962–1973 21
Vietnam 1965–1974 16

Soviet-Era Interventions Pale in Comparison

Russia’s modern wars typically produced far fewer fatalities: the decade-long occupation of Afghanistan caused an estimated 14,000 troop deaths, while campaigns in Chechnya resulted in roughly 12,000. According to RAND, those conflicts strained the Soviet and Russian militaries but never scaled to the mass-mobilization levels seen today.

Mobilization Drives Domestic Discontent

High casualty rates have fueled public dissatisfaction at home. As Levada Center polling shows, support for prolonged fighting drops sharply among families with draft-aged sons. Meanwhile, reports compiled by Meduza suggest that payouts to soldiers’ families often lag behind official promises, amplifying anger in rural regions that supply a disproportionate share of recruits.

Ukraine’s Losses Are Also Heavy

The Ukrainian government estimates between 60,000 and 100,000 military deaths since 2022. While lower than Russia’s, these figures are devastating for a country with a population one-third the size of Russia’s

Credit: Visual Capitalist

Ad

Unlocking Opportunities in the Gulf of Guinea during UNGA80
X whatsapp