Ukraine is rapidly adapting its tactics to slow down the Russian offensive, increasingly relying on long-range drones, strikes on logistics, fortifications, and robotic systems. Meanwhile, Moscow is facing high losses and increasing pressure on its recruitment system.
The war in Ukraine enters a new stage, where technology and the ability to strike military infrastructure behind the front lines become as important as the battles on the contact line.
According to recent assessments, Russian commanders would have asked the Kremlin for up to 800,000 additional soldiers to support and expand operations. However, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) notes that Russia does not have the administrative and training capacity necessary to quickly integrate such a number of recruits.
At the same time, Ukraine is trying to offset the numerical disadvantage through an increasingly sophisticated use of drones, long-range weapons, and unmanned systems.
Pressure on the Russian army
Former intelligence officer Philip Ingram asserts that Ukraine has reached a high level of efficiency in the use of technology and precision strikes.
He quotes estimates according to which Russia would lose, in certain periods, over 1,200 soldiers a day, and on some days the figure would have reached about 2,000 a day.
The figures regarding losses must, however, be treated with caution. Data on military casualties is difficult to independently verify in real time. The Ukrainian General Staff reported over 301,000 Russian losses, dead and wounded, just in the first eight and a half months of 2026.
In a separate assessment, the head of the British Defense Staff recently estimated that over 500,000 Russian military personnel have been killed since the beginning of the large-scale invasion, and Russia’s total losses, including the wounded, are approaching 1.5 million.
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