As the full-scale Russo-Ukrainian War enters its fourth calendar year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Thursday that Russian casualties have exceeded one million.
In a statement posted on June 12, Zelenskyy described the figure as “the price Putin is willing to pay for his sick geopolitical fantasies,” underscoring the staggering human cost of Russia’s invasion, which began on February 24, 2022.
Today, in year four of Russia’s full-scale war, our military has recorded over one million Russian casualties — killed and wounded. That’s the price Putin is willing to pay for his sick geopolitical fantasies. And still, he refuses to end this war. pic.twitter.com/SFIkh1q7Hq
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 12, 2025
The figure is in line with estimates from Western defense officials. The U.K. Ministry of Defence and the Associated Press both reported that Russia has suffered over one million casualties, including roughly 250,000 deaths.
Zelenskyy also touted a recent covert operation, codenamed SpiderWeb, which damaged 41 Russian aircraft—worth an estimated $7 billion—at airbases deep inside Russian territory. According to the report, the attack hit bombers and surveillance planes used in missile strikes.
The Ukrainian president urged Western nations to tighten sanctions on Russian oil exports, backing a European Union proposal to lower the oil price cap from $60 to $45 per barrel. Ukraine’s government claims Russia lost $4 billion in oil revenue in early 2025 alone.
Framing the war as a global security issue, Zelenskyy called for more military aid and stronger partnerships with NATO and the EU.
“No country can afford to stay behind in defense tech,” he said.