Russia retaliates for Kerch Bridge attack: Ukraine War in data
Symbolic targets matter a lot in war. The destruction of the Kerch Bridge, which connected the occupied Crimean Peninsula to the Russian mainland and served as a key supply and logistics artery for Russian forces, swiftly generated some horrific math. Completed in 2018, the longest bridge in Europe had become a symbol of Russian pride and dominance, with massive defenses. But an explosion of unknown origin destroyed it over the weekend.
The Russian response to the destruction of one bridge: According to various Ukrainian sources, Russia launched over 84 cruise missiles and 24 drone attacks on Monday, which hit 70 targets, including 29 critical infrastructure facilities, four high-rise buildings, 35 residential buildings and a school. These attacks killed at least 19 people.
The New York Times has quoted Western intelligence sources as saying that Russia used up many of its most accurate missiles at the beginning of the Ukraine War, suggesting that the use of some of its few remaining cruise missiles in these reprisals is an indication of just how seriously the Russians view the loss of that one bridge.
We offer a more comprehensive set of data points on the war in Ukraine below. Grid originally published this document on March 24. We update it every Thursday to provide a fuller picture of the conflict.
Civilians killed: at least 6,220 (probably thousands more)
On June 7, a Ukrainian official said at least 40,000 Ukrainian civilians had been killed or wounded since the war began. The official offered no breakdown of dead versus wounded civilians. The United Nations’ latest estimate of civilians killed is over 6,220, but it consistently notes the figure is an underestimate, as is its estimate of total casualties — a combination of deaths and injuries — given as over 15,000. (Updated Oct. 12; source, source.)
Ukrainian soldiers killed: 5,500 to 11,000
Top advisers to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have estimated in June that 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since the war began. Meanwhile, on Aug. 22, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, said the country had lost about 9,000 troops. In mid-April, U.S. intelligence officials put the number at 5,500 to 11,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed since the invasion. On June 10, an adviser to Zelenskyy said Ukraine was losing as many as 200 soldiers each day. (Updated Aug. 24; source, source, source.)
Russian soldiers killed: 5,937 to over 63,000
Ukraine has raised its estimate of Russian soldiers killed in the conflict to more than 63,000 this week. In March, NATO estimated Russian troop losses at between 7,000 and 15,000, and in August, CIA Director William Burns assessed the number to be around 15,000. In its first update on casualties since March, in late September, Russia claimed there were 5,937 military deaths. Russian spokesman Dimitry Peskov said in April that there have been “significant losses of troops, and it’s a huge tragedy for us.” (Updated Oct. 12; source, source.)
Russian generals killed: 8 to 13
A retired Russian general was reportedly shot down over Luhansk in late May — by Ukrainian counts, this was the 13th Russian general to be killed in Ukraine. Previously, the Defense Intelligence Agency reported that eight to 10 Russian generals had been killed in Ukraine. Grid’s Tom Nagorski and Joshua Keating previously reported on the possible explanations for this “inconceivable” toll: poor communications and command-and-control structures within the Russian military. (Updated May 25; source, source.)
Total displaced Ukrainians: at least 14 million
There are more than 7.6 million Ukrainian refugees currently reported in other European countries. United Nations data indicates more than 14 million Ukrainians have crossed the border since the start of the war, but millions have returned home, largely from Poland, as Nikhil Kumar and Kseniia Lisnycha reported. The International Organization for Migration’s latest survey of internally displaced Ukrainians this week found more Ukrainians returning home from within Ukraine, but more than 6 million remained displaced within their own country. (Updated Oct. 12; source; source.)