Russia's losses in Ukraine as of May 18: +1,220 troops and 1,603 drones
A Ukrainian soldier (photo: Getty Images)
Russia continues to suffer heavy battlefield losses as Ukrainian forces destroy enemy troops and military equipment across multiple front lines. Over the past 24 hours, Moscow's army has lost 1,220 manpower in the ongoing war against Ukraine, according to Ukraine's General Staff.
The total Russian combat losses from February 24, 2022, to May 18, 2026, are estimated to be:
- Personnel — nearly 1,350,010 (+1,220)
- Tanks — 11,939 (+1)
- Armored combat vehicles — 24,583 (+5)
- Artillery systems — 42,262 (+47)
- Multiple-launch rocket systems — 1,792 (+2)
- Air defense systems — 1,386 (+2)
- Aircraft — 436
- Helicopters — 353 (+1)
- Ground robotic complex — 1,415 (+5)
- Operational-tactical UAVs — 297,057 (+1,603)
- Cruise missiles — 4,628
- Ships/boats — 33
- Submarines — 2
- Automotive equipment and fuel tanks — 97,338 (+220)
- Special equipment — 4,200 (+4)
(Photo: facebook.com/Ukraine's General Staff)
Frontline situation
On the night of May 17, the Ukrainian military struck a military-industrial complex enterprise and several oil facilities in the Moscow region, as well as the military airfield Belbek in Crimea. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense confirmed strikes on several targets in Moscow and the Moscow region, including an oil refinery, an oil depot, and microelectronics manufacturing facilities.
Moreover, Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces strike new targets of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. The targets include a strategic protected communications hub of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, a border patrol ship, and a Tor-M2 air defense system.
According to ISW, the Russian military command has been lying for the fifth month in a row about battlefield successes," claiming that Russian forces are advancing west of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region. Analysts state that Russian forces do not hold fortified positions in Kupiansk and that only a small number of Russian saboteurs remain in the city.
