Vladimir Putinis increasingly reliant on foreign troops to fight inUkrainedue to huge casualty numbers, the UK has said. Defence SecretaryJohn Healeysaid Moscow is sustaining more losses than it can replace in the conflict.
The full-scale war is approaching its fourth anniversary, with both sides making little territorial gains. Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskysaid 30,000 Russian troops were killed last month, while Western officials believeRussiasustained 415,000 casualties in 2025 — a small decrease from 430,0000 in 2024. Drones have become the defining weapon of the war, accounting for an estimated 80% of all casualties.
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Speaking toBloomberg, Mr Healey said Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told European counterparts that Kyiv’s forces have inflicted more casualties than Moscow has been able to recruit over the last two months.
He said this has led to the Kremlin to rely more greatly on thousands of foreign fighters, including recruits from nations including India, Nepal, Cuba and Nigeria.
Mr Healey said they are “often recruited under false pretenses and press-ganged under pressure without necessarily realising that they’re destined for the Russian meat machine on the front line ofUkraine”, adding 17,000 North Korean troops are part of the Kremlin war effort.
The Defence Secretary,believed to be seen as a potential candidate to replace Sir Keir Starmer as PM, also told Bloomberg at the Munich Security Conference that Russian casualty rates have also risen significantly.
He said in some parts of the frontline, there are now as many as 25 Russian losses for each Ukrainian casualty.
WhileRussiais making some gains, Mr Healey said: “Putin likes to give the impression that they’re making relentless and inevitable progress but he’s weaker than he’s been and more reliant than he’s been on foreign fighters.”
Source: Daily Express :: World Feed
