Putin faces major dilemma over dwindling manpower
More than two and a half years into what Russian President Vladimir Putin had hoped would be a days-long war, Russia—and indeed, Ukraine—will need to source fresh manpower for grinding operations, with little hope of an end to the conflict in sight.
According to Ukraine's numbers, Moscow has sustained more than 665,000 casualties since February 2022, including more than 1,000 soldiers killed or injured between Wednesday and early Thursday.
September marked the highest number of Russian casualties reported in a single month, the U.K. Defense Ministry said this week. The Kremlin will likely carry on sustaining more than 1,000 casualties each day in Ukraine for the rest of the year, despite the onset of winter, London said.
With no let up on the horizon, Russia may soon have to look for ways to refill its ranks, propping up what have become known as "meat-grinder" assaults on Ukrainian defensive positions in the east. Moscow has slowly but steadily advanced in eastern Ukraine throughout the year, relying on personnel-heavy attacks with high casualty counts.
