Life expectancy of soldier in russian armed forces ranges from 10 days to three weeks

The life expectancy of the average soldier in the russian occupation army, from the moment he signs his contract until his death, ranges from ten days to three weeks, and during an assault, from 20 to 35 minutes. British historian Peter Frankopan wrote about this in a column for Foreign Policy.

Frankopan notes that russian dictator vladimir putin is facing difficult times, particularly due to the protracted war against Ukraine and the heavy losses the russian army is suffering on the battlefield.

The full-scale invasion, which putin had intended to end in a matter of days, has now lasted longer than World War I and Germany’s war against the Soviet Union. The russian army has ceased to make gains on the battlefield, and the successes it managed to achieve earlier came at the cost of colossal losses for russia. And some data suggest that in April and May, the russian army lost some of the territory it had previously captured.

Francopan recalled how, in May, Anne Keast-Butler, director of the UK Government Communications Headquarters, stated—citing new data from British intelligence—that russia had suffered approximately 500,000 fatalities.

The historian points out that in relative terms, the losses are even more staggering. According to some reports, for every Ukrainian soldier killed or seriously wounded, there are eight russian soldiers in the same condition. The high casualty rates have made it difficult to replenish the army, forcing the kremlin to offer up to USD 80,000 for signing a contract and up to USD 140,000 in severance pay.

"Those who did enlist have nothing to look forward to. According to Russian military bloggers, the average lifespan of a recruit—from arrival at the training ground to death in the combat zone—ranges from 10 days to three weeks. Once deployed to the battlefield, Russian soldiers survive an average of 20 to 35 minutes,” Frankopan writes.

According to him, this is largely due to radical changes in combat technology and tactics. In particular, he notes that unmanned aerial vehicles have become the primary weapon of destruction in this war.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on June 1, the Ukrainian analytical project DeepState stated that in May, the russians occupied a total of just 14 square kilometers of territory. This is the worst result for the russian army since October 2023.

As a reminder, in May, russian military bloggers widely acknowledged a slowdown in the russian army’s advance. According to them, the pace had slowed to its lowest level in the past two years.

Also in May, Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that some members of russian dictator vladimir putin’s inner circle believe the war has reached a stalemate and has no clear path to resolution.

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