Russia Faces 8,700% Casualty Surge as Putin Allies Add $68.6 Billion and Kremlin Eyes Crackdown
Updated
Updated · Kyiv Post · May 27
Russia Faces 8,700% Casualty Surge as Putin Allies Add $68.6 Billion and Kremlin Eyes Crackdown
1 articles · Updated · Kyiv Post · May 27
Russian losses per square kilometer seized jumped more than 8,700% from January to March, underscoring a worsening battlefield cost as Moscow struggles to sustain offensive gains.
Recruitment is failing to keep pace: Russia wants 1,200 recruits a day, but losses of up to 35,000 a month require closer to 1,400 daily just to hold the front.
At the same time, Putin’s inner circle has gained $68.6 billion since the war began, while billionaire wealth overall has risen 97% and more than 90% of nationalized property has gone to loyalists.
The report says recent moves such as shutting a Telegram channel and tightening money transfers may signal preparation for broader repression, forced mobilization or both.
With Ukraine striking factories and oil facilities and living standards falling at home, the piece argues the Kremlin is choosing tighter control over any path toward ending the war.
As Russia's casualties mount, are its war aims driven by imperial ambition or the personal profits of its ruling elite?
With drones creating a deadly stalemate, can autonomous weapons and long-range strikes deliver Ukraine a decisive victory over Russia?