October was the bloodiest month for Russia in its war against neighboring Ukraine since President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion in February 2022. On Monday, British officials said Moscow had 41,980 casualties — killed and wounded — on the battlefield last month compared to the previous high of 39,110 in May 2024.
Daily Russian casualties also reached a new high in October 2024, with an average daily loss rate of 1,354 reported by Ukraine’s general staff, U.K. military officials said on X in their latest assessment of the battlefield.
“This is the second straight month that Russian forces have suffered new war high average daily losses. The average daily losses for the first 12 days of November 2024 is 1,498, indicating that this upward trajectory is likely to continue,” British officials said.
The estimate came a day after it was revealed that President Biden has finally lifted restrictions on the Ukrainian forces’ use of longer-range U.S. ATACMs missiles, missiles with a range of nearly 200 miles that could hit Russian positions far behind the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine.
The government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had long pressed for the use of the longer-range missiles, while the Kremlin had warned such a step would mark a major escalation in the U.S. and Western direct role in the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow Monday that Russia was still evaluating the U.S. decision, which has not been confirmed officially, but would respond if necessary.
“If such a decision has indeed been formulated and communicated to the Kiev regime, then, of course, this is a qualitatively new round of escalation of tensions and a qualitatively new situation in terms of the involvement of the United States in this conflict,” Mr. Peskov said, according to the official Tass news agency.
Mr. Peskov noted that President Vladimir Putin had explicitly warned Washington against the move as recently as September, adding, “We are proceeding from this.”
Allied intelligence analysts believe Russia has likely sustained more than 700,000 casualties on the battlefield since the start of the war. The Kremlin has increased the tempo of offensive operations over the past month in an apparent attempt to increase pressure on Ukrainian lines as they seek to push Kyiv’s back on several fronts, including in the Kursk oblast.
“Russia will highly likely continue to experience high casualty rates over the remainder of the year with continued dismounted infantry tactics on multiple axes throughout winter,” British officials said.
A new factor in the fighting in recent days has been the deployment of thousands of North Korean troops in support of Russian forces in Kursk. It was not clear yet what their role in the fighting has been and whether they have sustained casualties as well.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.