The illegitimate president of the aggressor country, Russia, Vladimir Putin, is waging a war of attrition against Ukraine and is increasingly under pressure instead of the demonstration of his own strength that he sought. This is stated in an analytical article by Bild published on May 21.
The publication called losses at the front one of the biggest defeats of the Russian Federation. According to Western estimates, the aggressor country is now losing approximately 35 thousand soldiers per month in killed and wounded. The Russian publications Meduza and Mediazona believe that as of the end of 2025, 352 thousand people died in Ukraine, 217.8 thousand of them were identified. Together with the wounded, the Russian Federation's losses reach 1.5 million people. This amounts to almost 3% of the male population of conscription age (from 18 to 59 years) in the Russian Federation before the start of the war, the author of the article notes, adding that the Kremlin is still managing to compensate for losses with new recruits, but the Russian army is no longer growing.
The journalist considers the loss of territories to be the second failure of the Russian Federation. He cites new data from the Economist, which indicates “minor but stable” losses of territory to the occupiers. According to these data, since the beginning of the year, the Russian army has been able to capture only approximately 220 km² – 0.04% of the territory of Ukraine. While Ukraine has recaptured 189 km² in recent months. Given the large number of dead and wounded Russians, Putin is unlikely to be able to justify such results, the author of the article states.
The publication sees the third failure of the Kremlin in the successful counterattacks of Ukraine. The war is increasingly affecting Russian territories and is becoming more and more tangible for the Russians themselves. In particular, due to regular attacks by Ukrainian drones and missiles on oil refineries, military facilities and infrastructure of the Russian Federation deep in the rear. Security expert Christian Melling, in a comment to Bild, emphasized that this is an important psychological factor, because “Moscow is of great importance for Putin’s stability.”
According to other observers who spoke to the media, if Putin does not find a solution to stop attacks on Russian territory by the summer, the war could reach a turning point. At the same time, according to Melling, the Russian Federation’s war of attrition will continue, despite the fact that the occupiers are advancing only in “millimeter steps.” He explained that Moscow does not have the concept of peace that the West understands, “only the preservation and expansion of power.”
