Ukraine says Russian personnel losses rose 46% by September

Ukraine’s General Staff said on Oct. 1 that Russia’s forces incurred an estimated 46,230 personnel losses in Ukraine in September—a 2026 monthly peak in its records and almost 46% higher than the January estimate of 31,710. The figures, reported by a Ukrainian source, have not been independently confirmed.¹

Loss estimate reaches yearly high

The September estimate surpassed the previous 2026 monthly highs reported for July and August, when Ukraine put Russian personnel losses at 42,860 and 42,020 respectively. Ukraine’s General Staff said the increase showed that Russia’s military leadership was failing to meet its objectives, but the dossier contains no independent verification of the totals.¹

Ukraine had set a higher objective earlier in the year. Mykhailo Fedorov, then the defence minister, said the country aimed to “kill 50,000 Russians per month”. The same Ukrainian report said Russian personnel losses had exceeded Moscow’s recruitment for the first time in December 2025, although that claim also remains unconfirmed.¹

Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Mykhailo Drapatyi, described Kyiv’s approach as relying on unmanned systems, precision and unconventional methods rather than numerical strength. The emphasis comes as both countries continue long-range strikes against military, industrial and transport targets.¹

Kyiv bridge targeted repeatedly

On Oct., Russian drones reportedly hit close to the piers of Kyiv’s Southern Bridge. 1, according to Ukrainian reporting, disrupting the metro connection carried by the bridge and stopping traffic while inspections were conducted. No passengers or the train driver were injured, and neither its windows nor its carriage was damaged.¹

Further attacks followed, with a Russian drone reported to have hit the bridge for the fourth time in two days on Oct. 2. The Southern Bridge, which connects Kyiv’s eastern and western banks, was still closed to road traffic when the fourth strike occurred. The two outlets in the dossier both reported renewed Russian strikes on the bridge.¹²

Kostiantyn Kryvolap, a former Antonov test engineer and aviation specialist, said the strikes appeared aimed chiefly at restricting travel, impairing logistics and exerting psychological pressure, rather than destroying the bridge. The Ukrainian report described the initial attack as the first occasion on which Russian drones had struck one of Kyiv’s bridges.¹

A separate Russian drone struck the grounds of Kyiv’s Institute for Nuclear Research on Oct. 1, causing a fire that was quickly extinguished, Ukraine’s nuclear regulator said. The regulator reported no injuries or damage to the VVR-M research reactor or other safety-important systems, while radiation readings remained between 0.16 and 0.20 microsieverts per hour.¹

Drone warfare and attacks widen

Ukraine reported that Russia launched about 500 drones over the country in a day, roughly half of them jet-powered. The Ukrainian report said Ukraine now shoots down 57% of jet-propelled Shahed-type drones and could produce up to 400 drones designed to intercept them before October ends.¹

Russian glide bombs hit Kharkiv’s Slobidskyi and Nemyshlyansky districts on Oct. 2, killing at least two people and injuring 36, according to regional authorities. One residential building was reported destroyed. A separate Russian attack on a business centre in Odesa wounded one person and damaged infrastructure.¹²

Ukraine, meanwhile, attacked industrial facilities in the Russian city of Volgograd with drones, according to the western report. A resulting fire in an apartment building injured one person. Ukrainian forces were also reported to have struck two Russia-linked ships in the Black Sea, while President Volodymyr Zelensky said other targets had been hit in the Black Sea and in Russia’s Oryol, Samara and Bryansk regions.¹²

Dispute over North Korean prisoners

A diplomatic dispute developed after Ukraine publicly announced that two North Korean prisoners of war had been transferred to South Korea. Ukraine had captured the servicemen in January 2025; they were described as the first members of North Korea’s contingent fighting alongside Russia to be taken alive.²

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for an apology, cautioning that “further action” could follow if Ukraine kept rejecting that a confidentiality deal concerning the prisoners existed. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv was working to resolve what he called a “diplomatic misunderstanding”.²

North Korea was estimated to have sent 14,000 troops to help Russian forces expel Ukrainian troops from the Kursk region. Zelensky said Russia still had over 8,000 North Korean troops, while a further 10,000 were being trained for a potential deployment; the estimates came from one source.²