Russia Hemorrhages 8,000 Troops Weekly, Kremlin Forced to Hire Foreign Fighters – UK

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Russia is losing between 7,000 and 8,000 soldiers every week in its war against Ukraine, stressing that neither side can claim victory as casualties and destruction continue to mount.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Rubio described the conflict as “a difficult war to say anyone is winning,” pointing to massive Russian losses alongside what he called extraordinary damage to Ukraine, particularly to its energy infrastructure.

“I think that’s a difficult war to say anyone is winning. The Russians are losing 7,000-8,000 soldiers a week. A week. Not wounded, dead,” he said.

Rubio said rebuilding Ukraine would take “billions of dollars,” adding that both countries are suffering severe harm.

“Ukraine has suffered extraordinary damage to its energy infrastructure, and it will take billions of dollars and years and years to rebuild that country. So, I don’t think anyone can claim to be winning it,” he said.

“I think that both sides are suffering tremendous damage, and we’d like to see the war come to an end. It’s a senseless war, in our view,” Rubio added.

He credited Ukrainian forces for their resilience, saying they have fought bravely and received extensive US support.

Rubio also revealed that early American assistance – including anti-tank weapons delivered before Russia’s full-scale invasion – played a critical role in helping Ukraine withstand the initial assault.

Notably, UK Defense Secretary John Healey said at the Munich Security Conference that Russia is increasingly relying on foreign fighters as battlefield losses outpace recruitment.

Healey told Bloomberg that Ukraine has inflicted more casualties over the past two months than Moscow has been able to replace, citing briefings from Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

As a result, Russia is turning to recruits from countries including India, Nepal, Cuba, Nigeria and Senegal, as well as roughly 17,000 North Korean troops.

“They are often recruited under false pretenses and press-ganged under pressure without necessarily realizing that they’re destined for the Russian meat machine on the front line of Ukraine,” Healey said.

Fedorov has outlined an ambition to drive Russian losses to 50,000 a month by summer – a level Western officials say could force Russian President Vladimir Putin to consider another unpopular mobilization.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia lost about 30,000 troops in January alone, adding:

“Putin is not concerned about this now, but there is a level at which he’ll start to care.”

Western estimates put Russian casualties – killed and wounded – at more than 1.2 million since the start of the war, with drone operations increasingly driving losses.

Despite this, Russian forces have continued limited advances in eastern Ukraine while intensifying missile and drone strikes on civilian infrastructure.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that even a peace deal would likely accelerate Russia’s rearmament, increasing the threat to Europe.

Ukraine’s top commander, Oleksandr Syrsky, said drones have expanded the active battle zone by up to 20 kilometers.

“This is an important reminder for us all that Ukraine is under huge pressure,” Healey said, adding that on some parts of the front line casualty ratios have risen to as high as 25 Russian losses for every Ukrainian.

“Putin likes to give the impression that they’re making relentless and inevitable progress,” Healey concluded. “But he’s weaker than he’s been and more reliant than he’s been on foreign fighters.”

Moreover, the OSINT channel Visioner reported on X that Western intelligence believes January marked a turning point in Russia’s war effort, with frontline losses exceeding new recruits for the first time.

According to Bloomberg, Russia enlisted about 9,000 fewer contract soldiers in January than were killed or wounded over the same period. In December, recruitment and losses were roughly balanced.

European assessments cited by Visioner say Russian casualties surged over the winter as Moscow’s General Staff failed to achieve meaningful battlefield breakthroughs. At the current pace, analysts estimate it would take Russia roughly two years to seize the entire Donbas.

The trend, Visioner noted, suggests Ukraine’s strategy of maximizing Russian losses is beginning to bite, exposing growing strain on the Kremlin’s manpower pipeline.

“This means that the Kremlin’s myth of “endless human resources” is gradually colliding with reality. Money, propaganda, and coercion can no longer cover the number of new graves. Recruitment problems will very soon manifest on the front line,” Visioner wrote on X.