JUNE IS turninginto an ill-fated month for Russia’s armed forces. It started with adaring Ukrainian drone attackon airfields stretching from Siberia in the east to Murmansk in the north that Ukraine claims destroyed 41 large planes, or about one-third of Russia’s strategic-bomber fleet. (Analysts viewing satellite pictures of some of the airfields reckon the real number is about half that.) But another momentous statistic looms. Before the month ends, Russia will probably suffer its millionth casualty since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, based on current trends of about 1,000-1,200 soldiers killed or injured every day.
This article appeared in the International section of the print edition under the headline “Vladimir Putin’s “deathonomics””
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