Russian casualties: 40,000 a month amid the fog of propaganda
The figure of 40,000 Russian casualties per month divides analysts: each side uses its own numbers. With no reliable sources, propaganda rules.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
40,000 Russian casualties a month: the figure nobody can prove
The war in Ukraine has a front line that never appears on maps: the one made of numbers. The 40,000 Russian soldiers falling every month have become a benchmark. But scratch the surface and the figure falls apart: every analysis pulls out the calculator that suits it best.
Everyone uses the calculator that suits them
Some argue that Russian losses far exceed Ukrainian ones, on all fronts and since the start of the war. At the opposite extreme is a ratio of ten Ukrainians for every Russian, which, applied to the 40,000 monthly figure, would miccionan 400,000 Ukrainian casualties — a number hard to sustain. In between, the arithmetic goes off the rails: 30,000 Ukrainians against 2,000 Russians.
The only point of agreement between versions is distrust. Both commands lie in their statistics, the argument goes; the official figures are propaganda. Curiously, the reference to Alfonso Guerra applied to this case — "it's 40 or 1,000 a month" — sums up the arbitrariness of the number better than any analysis could.
Doubt as the only certainty
The mutual accusations include outlets such as VisualPolitik and NATO's data, dismissed by one side or the other depending on allegiance. No one offers verifiable proof; it all comes down to clashing narratives.
With so many numbers flying around, what is the real figure of Russian casualties? The question remains open, and on this front the only truth everyone accepts is that no one can be believed.
The war in Ukraine has a front line that never appears on maps: the one made of numbers. The 40,000 Russian soldiers falling every month have become a benchmark. But scratch the surface and the figure falls apart: every analysis pulls out the calculator that suits it best.
Everyone uses the calculator that suits them
Some argue that Russian losses far exceed Ukrainian ones, on all fronts and since the start of the war. At the opposite extreme is a ratio of ten Ukrainians for every Russian, which, applied to the 40,000 monthly figure, would miccionan 400,000 Ukrainian casualties — a number hard to sustain. In between, the arithmetic goes off the rails: 30,000 Ukrainians against 2,000 Russians.
The only point of agreement between versions is distrust. Both commands lie in their statistics, the argument goes; the official figures are propaganda. Curiously, the reference to Alfonso Guerra applied to this case — "it's 40 or 1,000 a month" — sums up the arbitrariness of the number better than any analysis could.
Doubt as the only certainty
The mutual accusations include outlets such as VisualPolitik and NATO's data, dismissed by one side or the other depending on allegiance. No one offers verifiable proof; it all comes down to clashing narratives.
With so many numbers flying around, what is the real figure of Russian casualties? The question remains open, and on this front the only truth everyone accepts is that no one can be believed.
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (23 replies).
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