U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has placed renewed emphasis on the human cost of the war in Ukraine, citing “100,000 Russian soldiers – dead, not injured – dead” in the war against Ukraine.
Speaking at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center on July 10, Rubio framed the figure as a powerful argument for accelerating diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
Rubio’s remarks mirror independent estimates by BBC Russian and Mediazona, whose joint open-source investigation found that verified Russian military deaths in Ukraine had recently surpassed 100,000 since the February 2022 invasion. That tally, like Rubio’s figure, excludes wounded personnel and is likely an undercount due to Russia’s deliberate suppression of casualty data.
The independent count also shows how the composition of Russia’s war dead has evolved. Nearly one-quarter of those killed were volunteer soldiers, over 16% were convicts recruited from prisons, and more than 11% were mobilised troops. Among the dead were at least 4,800 officers, though the officer share of fatalities fell sharply after the first year as the Kremlin leaned increasingly on expendable recruits and penal battalions.
“The President doesn’t like wars. He thinks wars are a waste of money and a waste of lives, and he wants them to end,” Rubio said. He noted that the scale of Russian losses is one of the factors motivating Washington’s push for a diplomatic roadmap. “There were some ideas exchanged today… and hopefully it will lead to something. I don’t want to over-promise, but we’re going to keep working at it.”
Rubio also highlighted the impact of continued attacks, such as a recent drone strike near the Polish border, calling it “probably the largest” of its kind so far. “Every time one of these strikes is launched, the price of reconstruction goes up,” he said, adding that “the destruction of the country’s capabilities – economic and otherwise – has to be added to this.” A reconstruction conference for Ukraine, he noted, was underway even as new damage was being inflicted.
The Secretary of State expressed frustration with the slow pace of progress but insisted that the administration remains committed to diplomacy, even amid rising battlefield intensity. “These things take time and patience, but we’re frustrated more hasn’t been achieved. Hopefully we’ll have more clarity about the Russian position and priorities in the days to come.”
Probably got his numbers from pootin!still we all know who can stop this now don’t we?
We need more clarity about the Russian position? If the massive air attack immediately after Trump’s last phone call with his mate doesn’t give a strong indication I’m not sure anything will. As for the loss of Russian manpower I guess Trump is concerned about potential higher pay rates due to a shortage of staff at his prospective Black Sea leisure resorts. Well he did say he was concerned about the waste of money involved, I’m sure that’s his real concern.
Here’s the Russian position Rubio. Putin thinks Ukraine belongs to Russia, it wants the former Eastern bloc countries back under its hegemony, it wants NATO destroyed and the Western alliance broken up. Your boss is doing a good job in helping him.