Casualties and recruitment: The latest on the battlefieldpublished at 13:15 BST
Kieran Kelly
Live reporter
Image source, ReutersUkrainian forces – pictured above – have been able to launch succesful counterattacks
Progress on the battlefield
Russia advanced on average 1.22 sq km per day in July, according to a recent report by, external the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The ISW says that Russia’s rate of advance has remained largely unchanged since February 2026 and that its summer offensive – launched the following month – has “failed to make any operationally significant gains”.
Casualty rates
Russia reportedly suffered its highest monthly casualty rate of the war in July, with the Ukrainian army estimating 42,860 Russian casualties, a number that includes people killed or injured in the conflict. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied Ukrainian casualty estimates.
The BBC’s Russian service, working with Mediazona, has confirmed 236,066 Russian military deaths between 24 Feb 2022 and 26 July 2026.
For Ukrainian soldiers, President Volodymyr Zelensky last acknowledged 55,000 deaths in February 2026.
Recruitment struggles
Ukraine is continuing to struggle to recruit enough men to fight in the war, with the country’s military ombudswoman reporting “regular” attacks against recruitment officers as a “major problem”.
Russia, meanwhile, is increasingly turning to universities to boost recruitment. BBC Russian found evidence of recruitment activity in at least 95 universities and colleges by late February.
