Ukraine invests in firepower as it inflicts a new Russian casualty record

Ukraine’s military says Russian casualties reached 49,040 in October – a new monthly record. The General Staff’s estimate of dead and incapacitated Russian troops, as of October 28, comes close to fulfilling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s goal set in January of at least 50,000 enemy casualties a month by the end of 2026. Zelenskyy had said that was “a level of destruction of the occupier at which Russian losses exceed the number of reinforcements they can send.” The previous monthly high of 46,230 was set in September, with both records marking a sharp increase in reported Russian dead and wounded since the summer. Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert Brovdi called it a “massive industrial slaughter”.