Why more Russians are reportedly dying in Ukraine than ever before

Key Points:

• Ukrainian officials report an exceptionally high killed-to-wounded ratio among Russian forces in Ukraine, with 62% killed and 38% wounded, nearly reversing the typical modern warfare trend of more wounded than killed.
• This shift is attributed largely to the widespread use of explosive-laden first-person-view (FPV) drones by Ukrainian forces, which increase lethality and hinder evacuation and medical treatment of wounded soldiers.
• Historical comparisons show that modern conflicts usually have a killed-to-wounded ratio of about 1:3 to 1:5, making the current ratio in Ukraine closer to ratios seen in World War I and II, signaling a significant change in battlefield dynamics.
• Russia’s ongoing offensive tactics, involving repeated assaults through exposed terrain, combined with a perceived disregard by Russian commanders for evacuating wounded soldiers, contribute to the high fatality rate.
• The Ukraine conflict highlights a new reality for future large-scale wars: drone-saturated battlefields increase soldier lethality and complicate casualty evacuation, posing strategic challenges for attacking forces.