ISW Reports About ‘January Paradox’ Of Russian Occupation Troops

• 4.02.2025, 8:13

The level of losses among the occupants remains stably high.

Despite certain territorial successes of the Russian troops in Ukraine, their rate of advance has noticeably decreased. At the same time, the level of losses among the occupants remains stably high.

This is reported by analysts of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

In January 2025, the Russian army suffered 48,240 losses, equivalent to the strength of three motorised rifle divisions. This makes January the second most casualty-prone month in the entire war, second only to February 2022.

According to ISW, Russian forces advanced 498 square kilometres during the month, which means about 96 casualties for every square kilometre captured.

In December 2024, the losses were 48,670, at which time the Russian army managed to advance 593 square kilometres.

Analysts emphasise that the decrease in the captured territory with a similar level of losses indicates the growing resistance of Ukrainian troops and the decreasing effectiveness of Russia's offensive operations.