75% of Russians Killed In Ukraine Die From Artillery, Drone Explosions

Mass is what causes the most damage - and Ukraine is clearly doubling down. JL

Brendan Cole reports in Newsweek:

The Russian Military Medical Journal examined fatal injuries faced by Russia's military personnel in a "modern armed conflict," looking at both those who had been killed on the battlefield or those at the pre-hospital stage of evacuation. 74.5% of deaths had been due to explosions. In second place at 14.7% were fatalities due to gunshot injuries from small arms, with the vast majority of incidents (83.7%) from single wounds. 4% were due to thermal injuries and the same number is due to blunt trauma. Other causes of death were from stab injuries, asphyxia, drowning, poisoning and conditions such as heart failure. 

Nearly three-quarters of Russian soldiers die due to one cause, a survey conducted by military doctors has found.

 

The Military Medical Journal examined fatal injuries faced by Russia's military personnel in a "modern armed conflict," looking at both those who had been killed on the battlefield or those at the pre-hospital stage of evacuation.

The findings, reported by the independent Russian news outlet Vyorstka, showed that 74.5 percent of deaths had been due to explosions. Vyorstka posted what it said was a table listing the causes of death next to the percentages.

In second place at 14.7 percent were fatalities due to gunshot injuries from small arms, with the vast majority of incidents (83.7 percent) from single wounds.

 

Just over four percent of deaths were due to thermal injuries and the same number is due to blunt trauma. Other causes of death were from stab injuries, asphyxia, drowning, poisoning and conditions such as heart failure. Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment.

Vyorstka said the findings do not directly mention the war in Ukraine, but researchers write about injuries from M30A1 missiles, which the U.S.-supplied HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) have been used by Ukrainian forces to fight Russian aggression.

 

The report's authors said that these weapons were among those whose destructive power had increased fatality rates due to their ability to cause combined injuries in which several organs are affected.

It comes as Ukraine's latest estimate on Thursday of Russian troop losses in Ukraine over the previous day had hit 1,420, taking the total number of casualties, which include both dead and injured, to 674,270 since the start of the war.

Russian troop losses have spiked significantly over the last two months, according to Kyiv. Other estimates point to a high cost in personnel, with the British Ministry of Defense saying that the average daily casualty count hit 1,271 in September amid heavy fighting

 

The U.K. estimates that Russia has suffered casualties of around 550,000 and has predicted that these numbers will average 1,000 a day or more through the winter months.

Russia has not updated its troop losses since September 2022 when it said that just under 6,000 had died. Ukraine does not provide updates on its troop losses either.

Citing intelligence and undisclosed sources, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported last month that about 1 million Ukrainians and Russians have been killed or wounded, the majority soldiers but that also included civilians caught up in the hostilities started by Moscow.

 

The Journal reported how a confidential Ukrainian estimate from earlier this year put the number of dead Ukrainian troops at 80,000 and the wounded at 400,000.