Ukraine wants Russia to pay for every square kilometer it takes with at least 200 losses — and it's been hitting its number

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A CAESAR self-propelled howitzer crew of the 148th Artillery Brigade fires toward enemy lines from a concealed position as soldiers nearby watch the sky for hostile FPV drones, near Pokrovsk, Donetsk Region, Ukraine on January 11, 2026.

Ukraine is looking to inflict at least 200 Russian casualties for every square kilometer Moscow captures.
Its forces have hit this target in recent months as they stymy Russian battlefield advances.
Ukraine's defense chief attributed this to its mid-range strikes and Russia's loss of Starlink.

Ukraine is aiming to inflict at least 200 Russian casualties for every square kilometer that Moscow captures on the battlefield. Gains have become increasingly costly for Russian forces in recent months.

"Each kilometer of advance costs the enemy disproportionately high losses," Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov recently told reporters during a meeting to discuss the results of combat operations so far this year.

The Russian military lost 67 soldiers — killed or wounded — per square kilometer of advance in October 2025. This has increased to 165 in January, 244 in February, 254 in March, and 179 in April, Fedorov said, adding that Moscow suffered 35,203 casualties in April alone.

"Our strategic goal is to inflict at least 200 enemy losses for every square kilometer of advance," he said. "Dynamics show that Ukraine has significantly slowed the enemy's advance and is gradually regaining the initiative. At the same time, we are increasing active operations and liberating territory."

Fedorov attributed the uptick in Russian casualties to several factors, including Elon Musk's decision to disable Starlink satellite internet service for Russian forces in February. Moscow has been unable to replace this capability, allowing Ukraine to exploit the situation on the battlefield, the defense minister added.

Another factor is Ukraine's push to build out an arsenal of mid-range strike drones, hitting Russian targets at an operational depth that prevents its forces from carrying out assault operations on the front lines.

"We have actively begun procuring mid-strike drones, which have become one of the key technological advantages on the front line," Fedorov said.

A Ukrainian soldier prepares the Bliskavka attack drone to strike Russian positions in the direction of Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on May 15, 2026.

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank, assessed that these developments have led to a steady decline in Russia's rate of advance on the battlefield since November 2025. They also cited repeated Ukrainian ground counterattacks as a contributing factor.

The ISW conflict analysts reported in early May that "Russian forces in April 2026 suffered a net loss of territory controlled in the Ukrainian theater for the first time" since Kyiv's 2024 incursion into Russia's Kursk region.

They said Russia lost control of 116 square kilometers in April, though this figure does not account for areas where its troops briefly infiltrated into Ukrainian territory.

Russia occupied nearly 27% of Ukraine weeks after launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022, a peak that it has since been unable to return to. Four years later, in March 2026, this figure had dropped to below 20%, according to ISW data.

During that time, Russia has accumulated roughly 1.3 million battlefield losses, Col. Joby Rimmer, a senior UK military advisor, said in late April.

Ukraine, by contrast, has suffered an estimated 500,000 to 600,000 casualties in this war, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a US-based think tank.

Ukrainian officials have signaled their intention to increasingly replace humans with robotic systems, including drones, wherever possible near the front lines, especially for logistics missions.