Russia has lost more than 1% of all men in the country in the war in Ukraine, Euromaidan Press reported on Sunday.
The situation continues to worsen, as Russian losses in November totaled about 31,000 personnel, marking the third consecutive month of rising casualties, according to estimates from the Ukrainian General Staff.
In total, Russia has suffered an estimated 1,192,000 irreversible personnel losses since the start of the war. The overwhelming number are killed in action, with a smaller share being severely wounded soldiers who will never return to service.
Daily casualties range between 1,000 and 1,700 men, reflecting an army being consumed at a pace unseen in modern warfare. The scale already exceeds the total combat losses of the United States during World War II.
Making these losses even more devastating is that Russia entered the war already in deep demographic decline.
By 2022, Russia was already grappling with an aging population, chronically low birth rates, and a shrinking workforce. The median age had climbed to about 40, with more than one-fifth of the population aged 65 and older. High mortality among working-age men, due in large part to alcoholism and poor healthcare, had already severely decreased the labor pool.
Fertility rates had remained below replacement level since the 1990s, hovering around 1.5 children per couple despite years of state incentives. This meant fewer young people entering adulthood, fewer workers supporting more retirees, and fewer men available for mobilization.
Even before the invasion, Russia's demographic trajectory indicated long-term population decline, with United Nations projections suggesting a fall from 146 million in 2022 to roughly 130 million by mid-century. The war has significantly accelerated this trend.
Estimates indicate that Russian military deaths alone amount to roughly 0.5% to 1.2% of the country's pre-war male population under 60. These are men in their prime reproductive, physical, and working years.
In addition, roughly half of volunteers killed are over 50 years old, with a lower average life expectancy. These are often men with little left economically, lured by signing bonuses and death payments that might pull their families out of poverty.
As the population decline accelerates, Russia will increasingly rely on mass immigration to sustain its economy. Projections suggest the migrant population could increase from less than 8 million to almost 20 million, surpassing the size of the nation's largest indigenous ethnic groups.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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