Russia is paying ‘extraordinary price’ in Ukraine, says British defense chief

Russian forces suffered an average of around 1,500 deaths and injuries per day in Ukraine in October, Britain’s chief of staff said.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin told the BBC that the Russian people paid an “extraordinary price” for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion, saying October was the worst month for losses since the conflict began in February 2022.

“Russia is about to suffer 700,000 deaths or injuries – the enormous pain and suffering that the Russian nation must bear because of Putin’s ambition,” he told the Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme.

He said that while Russia made gains and put pressure on Ukraine, the losses were “for small pieces of land.”

The cost of the war, which he estimated at more than 40 percent of government spending on defense and security, also represents “a huge drain” on Russia.

With the election of newly-elected US President Donald Trump casting doubt on US support for Ukraine, Sir Tony said Western allies would support them “for as long as it takes”.

“That is the message that President Putin must absorb and the reassurance for President Zelensky,” he said.

Sir Tony wrote in The Sunday Times that the growing threat from authoritarian states, including Russia, North Korea and the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen, is putting the international community “under enormous pressure”.

“This is a new era of competition and struggle that will last for decades and has the potential to disrupt our economy and our security more than anything Britain has seen in modern times,” he wrote.