Vladimir Putin’s war efforts have hit a humiliating low as some estimates reveal he has lost around 800,000 men in Ukraine while the Russian economy faces a crisis.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces (GSUAF) claimed that, as of January 15, Russia lost a staggering 812,670 troops since the Russian President ordered the unlawful full-scale invasion of the neighbouring country in February 2022.
That includes 1,580 casualties in the past day alone, it said.
Putin’s forces have also lost nearly 10,000 tanks, more than 20,000 artillery systems, and 22,000 drones, the GSUAF report claims.
It comes after Ukraine’s Defence Ministry put Russia’s losses at 430,790 soldiers for 2024.
But the Kremlin is not letting its troops lay down arms just yet, with Russian soldiers still storming through Ukrainian turf and making territorial gains.
Moscow’s troops captured 4,168 square kilometres (1,609 square miles) of Ukrainian land in 2024, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
It also Russia gained Avdiivka, Selydove, Vuhledar, and Kurakhove, four mid-sized settlements,
These small territorial gains and war casualties coincide with unverified reports Putin is considering proposals to freeze Russian bank accounts and introduce food rationing in an attempt to prevent an economic collapse.
The worsening economic outlook has forced the Kremlin into considering drastic proposals to stem the crisis.
Some of the measures up for consideration include preventing Russians withdrawing their deposits from banks and issuing food cards, according to the Telegram Channel General SVR.
“Many members of the Politburo agree that the freeze is necessary, but they are in no hurry to introduce this measure and are trying to postpone the adoption of the final decision as much as possible,” the channel claimed.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has been taking the fight to Russia with a recent spate of drone attacks.
The latest overnight assaults saw industrial facilities and oil depots reportedly bombarded by Ukrainian drones across several Russian cities.
Ukrainian drones are believed to have targeted several plants crucial to the Russian war effort, including one of the country’s largest manufacturers of high-strength plastics situated on the outskirts of the city of Kazan.
Footage posted online by locals showed a raging inferno after the plant was struck, with reports that a gas tank was hit, causing a large explosion.
