Former MI6 Chief Details Russia’s Heavy Losses in Ukraine

Sir Richard Moore, the former head of the UK’s MI6, has expressed alarm over the staggering number of Russian troops killed in Ukraine, stating that the situation is “astonishing.” In December 2025 alone, reports indicate that Russia sustained losses exceeding those incurred during the entire ten-year Soviet-Afghan War, which lasted from 1979 to 1989. During that conflict, approximately 20,000 Soviet soldiers were killed, while recent estimates suggest that more than 30,000 Russian troops lost their lives in just one month of fighting.

Moore pointed out that President Vladimir Putin has repeated a critical error similar to that of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who described the Afghan war as a “bleeding wound” for the Soviet Union. Gorbachev’s government viewed the invasion of Afghanistan as a “humiliating mistake,” believing it would be a quick operation to secure control over the country. Moore suggests that Putin’s ongoing military campaign in Ukraine reflects the same miscalculations.

The former MI6 chief spoke during an interview on Sky News’s World podcast, where he highlighted the severe casualties Russia has faced. “The losses are terrible, and even the Russians will struggle to replace that level of losses,” he noted. With over 1.2 million Russian soldiers either killed or severely wounded in less than four years, Moore indicated that the Russian military continues to perform poorly on the battlefield.

Despite these significant losses, Moore remarked that Putin appears “more comfortable than he should be.” He called for increased pressure on the Russian government and greater support for Ukraine from the international community. “We should be helping the Ukrainians more extensively than we are,” he asserted, emphasizing the need for more decisive actions to assist Ukraine in its defense.

At the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte corroborated Moore’s statements. Rutte revealed that, in December alone, Russia lost around 1,000 troops daily—an alarming statistic that underscores the scale of the conflict. “That’s over 30,000 in the month of December. In the 1980s in Afghanistan, the Soviets lost 20,000 in ten years,” Rutte explained, drawing a stark comparison between historical and current military losses.

Moore’s observations and Rutte’s data both raise critical questions about the long-term implications of such heavy casualties for Russia’s military strategy and the potential for a shift in the dynamics of the ongoing conflict. As losses mount, the future of Putin’s military ambitions remains uncertain. The global community watches closely as these developments unfold, considering the broader implications for international relations and security.