Russia suffers 1,040 troops lost in single day of Ukraine fighting

Thursday 08 January 2026 - 08:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Russia suffers 1,040 troops lost in single day of Ukraine fighting

Russia endured 1,040 military casualties over a 24-hour span ending January 7, pushing its total losses since launching the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 to roughly 1,214,500 personnel, according to Ukraine's General Staff.

This daily tally, encompassing both killed and wounded soldiers, underscores the relentless ferocity of clashes across multiple fronts in eastern and southern Ukraine. Ukrainian forces also destroyed three Russian tanks, 26 artillery systems, two multiple rocket launchers, and 406 drones during the period.

Pokrovsk emerges as the fiercest battleground. In the Pokrovsk sector of Donetsk Oblast, Russian troops mounted 52 assaults on Ukrainian positions near this key city on January 7. Defenders repelled 44 attacks, with six clashes ongoing late afternoon, per Ukrainian military updates.

The Institute for the Study of War reports Russian forces persist in flanking maneuvers around the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad urban area using small assault teams of six to eight soldiers, relying on light vehicles and infantry. Fighting has raged in the area since mid-2024, with Russia prioritizing capture of this logistics hub despite steep costs.

Ukrainian units faced intense pressure elsewhere, including 24 combat engagements in the Huliaipole sector of Zaporizhzhia Oblast and 12 Russian attacks in the Lyman direction of Donetsk Oblast.

Ukraine targeted Russian infrastructure in response. The General Staff confirmed strikes on a fuel depot in Belgorod Oblast overnight from January 6 to 7, hitting the Oskolneftesnab facility near Kotel village. The assault ignited a massive blaze in fuel storage tanks that supply Russian forces. Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov acknowledged the hit but reported no casualties.

In a separate operation, Ukrainian forces struck a logistics warehouse used by Russia's 20th Motorized Rifle Division in occupied Donetsk Oblast, aiming to disrupt enemy supply lines. These actions form part of Kyiv's ongoing campaign against Russian military and war-sustaining economic assets.