After Two Years and 300,000 Casualties in Ukraine, How is Russia Staying in the Fight?

SIMFEROPOPL, UKRAINE – MARCH 12: Armed men believed to be Russian military patrol outside a Ukrainian military base on March 12, 2014 in Simferopol, Ukraine. As the standoff between the Russian military and Ukrainian forces continues in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, world leaders are pushing for a diplomatic solution to the escalating situation. Crimean citizens will vote in a referendum on 16 March on whether to become part of the Russian federation. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

SUBSCRIBER+ EXCLUSIVE REPORTINGAs Russia’s war against Ukraine nears the two-year mark, perhaps the most staggering measure of the cost is this: Russia has lost more than 300,000 soldiers to death or injury. It’s a casualty count that nearly matches the size of the force Vladimir Putin deployed for the war, and it’s far higher than the losses in any campaign Moscow has waged since World War II. 

It also begs a question: How is the Kremlin staying in the fight?

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