Russia suffers record casualties as military shifts to infantry-heavy tactics

Military observer Oleksandr Kovalenko discussed the issue, Obozrevatel reports.

Russia's military suffered catastrophic losses throughout 2025, with December proving particularly deadly as Moscow's forces sustained 35,050 casualties—including a record 22,000 killed in action—according to Ukrainian military assessments.

The staggering death toll reflects a dramatic shift in Russian military doctrine. Facing critical shortages of tanks and armored vehicles, commanders have increasingly relied on lightly-protected infantry and civilian vehicles for offensive operations. This tactical pivot has produced an alarming 65% fatality rate among casualties for three consecutive months, far exceeding historical norms for modern warfare.

"We're seeing Russian forces conduct assaults on motorcycles, civilian SUVs, and light trucks," said military analysts tracking the conflict. "When these vehicles are hit, survival rates plummet compared to armored personnel carriers."

Over the full year, Russian forces captured 4,329 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory at a cost of 418,010 casualties—approximately 96 troops per square kilometer. December's offensive in the Siversk sector, where Russia seized 200 square kilometers including the city itself, exemplified this costly approach with 72 casualties per square kilometer.

The pivot away from armor reflects deeper equipment crises. Russia lost 1,814 tanks and 3,792 armored fighting vehicles in 2025, with monthly losses declining sharply after May as commanders began rationing their dwindling mechanized forces. Once boasting one of the world's largest tank fleets, Russia now appears unable to offset battlefield losses through either factory production or refurbishment of Soviet-era stockpiles.

Artillery systems fared similarly, with 14,017 pieces lost throughout the year. Multiple rocket launcher losses totaled 322 units, forcing Moscow to seek additional systems from North Korea. Russia also lost 231 air defense systems, creating vulnerability across vast stretches of Russian territory. The occupied Crimean peninsula has become particularly hazardous for Russian air defenses, with Ukrainian intelligence services regularly targeting systems there.

Perhaps most striking were vehicle losses: Russia destroyed 42,225 automobiles in 2025, a record driven by the shift toward using civilian cars and motorcycles for combat operations instead of proper military transport.

"Russia is essentially betting everything on the one resource it has historically never valued: people," the assessment concluded, warning that Moscow's demographic advantage remains Ukraine's primary challenge heading into 2026 despite the Kremlin's mounting equipment shortages.

• Throughout 2025, Russia lost over 418,000 servicemen, dozens of aircraft and helicopters, and thousands of units of weapons and equipment.