Russia has been losing more than 40,000 troops killed or seriously wounded each month in its war against Ukraine, with preliminary estimates suggesting casualties may have exceeded 50,000 in October, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said.
Speaking at the Atlantic Future Forum on November 11, Rutte said Russian President Vladimir Putin was failing to achieve his objectives on the battlefield despite Moscow's continued military offensive.
The NATO chief compared Russia's recent monthly casualties with those suffered by American forces during the Vietnam War.
"The United States in 14 years, in Vietnam, lost 56,000. Here in one month, Russia, dead or seriously wounded, 40,000. And in October, early reporting indicates this number may have climbed to over 50,000," Rutte said.
According to the NATO secretary general, Russia has intensified missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure in an attempt to undermine the country's determination to resist, particularly as winter approaches.
Rutte also accused Moscow of escalating hybrid operations across Europe, including cyberattacks, acts of sabotage, arson and drone-related incidents.
He said the Kremlin was seeking to destabilise European societies, divide NATO allies and weaken international support for Ukraine.
"Putin is trying to divide us, destabilise our societies and disrupt our support for Ukraine with arson, drone incidents, cyber-attacks and other malicious activities. But let's be clear. He is failing," Rutte said.
The NATO chief stressed that the alliance's response to Russian hybrid operations would be to strengthen its support for Ukraine.
The casualty figures cited by Rutte could not be independently verified. Moscow has not regularly published comprehensive figures on its military losses in Ukraine.
