Russia's losses near 1.52 million as Kyiv reports 1,660 casualties in a day, with artillery and UAV attrition mounting

Ukraine's General Staff reported on 21 September that Russia has lost 1,660 soldiers killed and wounded over the past 24 hours, bringing the total estimated personnel losses since the start of the full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022 to approximately 1,519,650. The daily figure, published by Ukrainska Pravda, is part of a week of sustained attrition that has seen daily Russian losses range from 1,400 to 1,960 troops, according to data compiled from the General Staff's daily updates.

The latest report, covering the period to 21 September, also notes the destruction of 75 artillery systems, 17 ground robotic systems, and 1,728 operational-tactical UAVs over the previous day. The cumulative equipment losses now stand at 12,361 tanks, 25,365 armoured combat vehicles, and 50,142 artillery systems, with additional losses in multiple-launch rocket systems (2,149), air defence systems (1,662), and 151,861 vehicles and fuel tankers.

These figures are solely based on the Ukrainian military's estimates. They are not independently verifiable, and Russia does not regularly publish its own casualty numbers. Western analysts have generally assessed Ukraine's counts as plausible, though they caution that precise numbers are impossible to confirm independently. The General Staff's data does not distinguish between killed and wounded, and the totals are cumulative since February 2022.

The past week has seen notable fluctuations. On 17 September, the General Staff reported a spike of 1,960 Russian casualties in a single day, the highest daily figure in the period, coinciding with a rise in artillery losses (43 systems) and UAVs (1,439). On 14 September, losses were 1,700, and on 15 September they dropped to 1,400, only to rise again to 1,530 on 16 September. The most recent three days saw 1,520 (19 September), 1,560 (20 September), and 1,660 (21 September), according to Ukrainska Pravda's coverage of the General Staff's reports.

The consistent daily toll—averaging roughly 1,600 over the week—points to a grinding war of attrition, particularly along the eastern front where Russian forces have been pressing offensives. The high rate of UAV losses (over 5,000 in the last week) suggests that both sides are relying heavily on drones for reconnaissance and strike, and that Ukrainian air defence and electronic warfare are taking a steady toll on Russian reconnaissance and strike assets.

The equipment losses are also telling. The destruction of 75 artillery systems in a single day, as reported on 21 September, underscores the intensity of counter-battery fire, a key element of Ukraine's defensive strategy. The loss of 17 ground robotic systems in a day is a newer trend, indicating that Russia is increasingly deploying unmanned ground vehicles, likely for logistics or mine-clearing, and that Ukrainian forces are targeting them.

For European readers, these numbers matter because they reflect the cost of Russia's continued aggression and the strain on its military resources. The steady attrition of Russian manpower and equipment—over 1.5 million personnel and more than 50,000 artillery systems—has not yet forced a change in Moscow's strategic calculus, but it does raise questions about the sustainability of the current pace of operations.

As the General Staff's figures are updated daily, they provide a grim metric of a war that shows no sign of abating. The data, while specific, should be read with the caveat that it is a Ukrainian estimate, and independent verification remains limited. What is clear is that the human and material cost of the war continues to mount, with no end in sight.