For Putin’s 74th Birthday, Ukraine Counts Nearly 1.55 Million Russian Military Losses

Russia’s military has suffered approximately 1.55 million personnel losses since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to an interim tally published by Ukraine’s General Staff on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as Russian President Vladimir Putin turned 74. The General Staff said Russian forces lost approximately 1,690 personnel over the past day, bringing estimated total personnel losses to 1,545,950.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Ukraine’s tally also includes 12,396 tanks, 25,498 armored combat vehicles, 50,836 artillery systems, 2,192 multiple-launch rocket systems, and 1,690 air defense systems. Russian forces have also lost an estimated 443 aircraft, 356 helicopters, 35 ships and boats, and two submarines, according to the Ukrainian military. The General Staff reported particularly high losses in unmanned systems, estimating that Russia has lost 551,876 operational-tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including 1,890 over the past day. Other reported losses include 159,128 vehicles and fuel tankers, 4,800 pieces of special equipment, 5,126 cruise missiles, and 2,878 ground-based robotic systems. The Ukrainian military did not provide a breakdown of how many of the estimated personnel losses were killed or wounded. The figures are Ukraine’s estimates and have not been independently verified. The General Staff released the tally on Putin’s 74th birthday, framing the figures as a message to the Russian president. Other Topics of Interest ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, November 6, 2026 War in Ukraine - Latest update, key takeaways and map from the Institute for the Study of War on November 6, 2026. “On the occasion of V. Putin’s 74th birthday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine presents an interim tally of Russian army losses,” the statement said. “Having unleashed the largest war on the continent since World War II, the Russian dictator drives his country closer to the abyss – and himself toward the dustbin of history – with each passing year.” The General Staff added Ukraine would continue fighting Russian forces to secure a just and lasting peace. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also used Putin’s birthday to highlight Russia’s military losses and call for greater international pressure on Moscow. “On Putin’s birthday, Russian generals brought him his favorite present: war crimes,” Sybiha wrote on X, referring to Russia’s latest massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine. Sybiha said the attack hit residential buildings and critical infrastructure in Kyiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Kremenchuk, and Pryluky, killing over 10 people across the country. “What Russian generals fail to tell Putin is that he is not winning this war and never will,” Sybiha wrote, adding that Russia had lost 1.6 million troops killed and injured without achieving a single strategic goal of its invasion. He also argued that Russia’s advances had stalled and that Ukraine had begun liberating more territory than Russian forces were managing to occupy. According to Sybiha, Russia’s economy is declining and its global influence is waning because Putin “refuses to end this war.” Acknowledging the heavy cost of the war for Ukraine, Sybiha said Ukrainians would continue fighting because the conflict concerns “Ukraine’s survival as a nation and as a state.” “Russia’s terror must not go unanswered,” he added, urging Ukraine’s international partners to give Putin “real presents” that could push him toward diplomacy. Sybiha called for stronger sanctions against Russia’s military-industrial complex, including facilities producing ballistic missiles and the Rassvet satellite system. He also urged partners to increase support for Ukraine, particularly air-defense systems and energy assistance ahead of winter. He said the “ultimate present” for Putin would be a dock in The Hague, referring to Ukraine’s plans to establish the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine. “We are preparing the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine for practical launch already next year,” Sybiha wrote. “Putin and his friends should know that accountability is inevitable.” Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un congratulated Putin on his birthday, pledging Pyongyang’s “invariable support” for Russia and calling Moscow’s war against Ukraine a “sacred war of justice.” The message comes as North Korea has evolved from a political supporter of Russia’s invasion into a direct military partner. Pyongyang has supplied Moscow with weapons and deployed thousands of troops to Russia, including forces that fought alongside Russian units in the Kursk region. The two countries significantly deepened their military ties after Putin’s June 2024 visit to Pyongyang, when they signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement containing a mutual defense clause. Western and South Korean officials have said Russia has provided North Korea with economic assistance, military technology, and battlefield experience in return for its support. Julia is a Deputy Head of News and correspondent for Kyiv Post who has previously worked as a parliamentary editor, journalist, and news editor. She has specialized in covering the work of the Ukrainian parliament, government, and law enforcement agencies.