Less than a year after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the battles have resulted in 180,000 dead or wounded in the Russian army and 100,000 on the Ukrainian side, in addition to the deaths of 30,000 civilians, according to estimates published today, Sunday, by the Norwegian Chief of Staff.
Norwegian Chief of Staff Erik Kristoffersen stated in an interview with TV 2 that "the losses among Russian forces have reached nearly 180,000 dead or wounded." He added that "Ukrainian losses have likely exceeded 100,000 dead or wounded. Additionally, about 30,000 civilians have been killed in this horrific war."
Neither Russia nor Ukraine has provided a reliable tally of their losses for months. In November, U.S. Chief of Staff Mark Milley stated that the Russian army had suffered losses exceeding 100,000 soldiers dead or wounded, with a similar toll "likely" on the Ukrainian side. These figures cannot be verified from independent sources.
The Norwegian Chief of Staff confirmed that despite its heavy losses, "Russia is capable of continuing (this war) for a long time," citing Moscow's capabilities in mobilization and weapons production. He continued: "The most concerning thing is whether Ukraine will be able to keep the Russian air force out of the war," while it has thus far largely managed to keep the air force out "thanks to Ukrainian air defenses."
Most Russian airstrikes in recent months have been carried out using long-range missiles. The Norwegian general called for the delivery of combat tanks to Ukraine, stating: "Ukraine needs these tanks quickly if it is to launch a counter-offensive in the winter."
