Editing Russian Airborne Forces (section)

==== Analysis of losses ====

On 3 March 2022, it was reported that [[Major General]] [[Andrei Sukhovetsky]] of the VDV's 7th Guards Mountain Air Assault Division, who was the appointed deputy commander of the [[41st Combined Arms Army]], was [[killed in action]] in Ukraine.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |date=2022-03-03 |title=Ukraine forces reportedly kill top Russian general in blow to invading army |url=https://www.newsweek.com/russia-ukraine-sukhovetsky-conflict-1684441 |access-date=2022-03-03 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}</ref> His death is attributed to [[sniper]] fire either near [[Mariupol]] (which was [[Siege of Mariupol|besieged by Russian forces]])<ref name="Indy">{{cite news |date=2022-03-03 |title=Russian Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky killed by Ukrainians in blow to Putin |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-kill-andrei-sukhovetsky-b2027858.html |access-date=2022-03-04 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> or [[Hostomel]] during the Kyiv offensive.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-07 |title=Why is the 64-kilometre Russian convoy not moving towards Kyiv? |url=https://en.as.com/en/2022/03/08/latest_news/1646704360_362143.html |access-date=2022-04-19 |website=AS.com |language=en}}</ref> Ukrainian sources said he was killed on 2 March and his death was first confirmed on [[VKontakte]] by "Combat Brotherhood", a Russian veterans group,<ref name=":2" /> and later by [[President of Russia|President]] [[Vladimir Putin]].<ref name="Indy" /> The VDV suffered similar losses in Bucha and Irpin with poor command and control being cited.<ref name=":4">{{cite press release | title = Ukraine's specops forces destroy another 10 enemy IFVs in Hostomel | url =https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3419418-ukraines-specops-forces-destroy-another-10-enemy-ifvs-in-hostomel.html | access-date = 2022-06-21 | work = [[Ukrinform]] | type = Press release | language = en | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220415230337/https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3419418-ukraines-specops-forces-destroy-another-10-enemy-ifvs-in-hostomel.html | archive-date = 2022-04-15 | url-status = live | quote =  | df = dmy-all}}</ref> The VDV also joined the assault on the city of [[Mykolaiv]] during the [[Battle of Mykolaiv]], but were pushed back by a Ukrainian counter-offensive.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schwirtz |first=Michael |date=2022-03-07 |title=Proud Band of Ukrainian Troops Holds Russian Assault at Bay — for Now |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/06/world/europe/ukraine-beats-russia-mykolaiv.html |access-date=2022-03-08 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

On 18 March it was reported that Colonel Sergei Sukharev along with deputy Major Sergei Krylov of the 331st Guards Airborne Regiment had been killed during fighting in Mariupol.<ref>{{cite web |date=18 March 2022 |title=Top Russian paratroop commander killed in latest blow to Putin's Ukraine war effort |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/russian-paratroop-commander-killed-ukraine-sergei-sukharev-moscow-putin-b988979.html |website=Evening Standard}}</ref>

In late April, [[Bellingcat]] journalist [[Christo Grozev]] claimed that he "personally checked" and that Russia had lost "almost 90% of its best paratroopers" in the first echelon of the invasion.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-24 |title=Russia has lost 90% of its best paratroopers and many experienced mercenaries - Bellingcat - Canada News from unian.ua |url=https://ca.topnews.media/ukraine/russia-has-lost-90-of-its-best-paratroopers-and-many-experienced-mercenaries-bellingcat/ |access-date=2022-04-24 |website=CANADA TOPNews.MEDIA |language=en-US}}</ref> Many helicopters were shot down by Ukrainian defenses, and the paratroopers were stranded without armored vehicles or air support.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shull |first=Abbie |title=Ukrainian and Russian forces have been fighting for hours over a critical airfield just outside Kyiv |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-russia-fight-over-airfield-outside-kyiv-2022-2 |access-date=2022-03-01 |website=[[Business Insider]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In early May, the UK MoD stated that the VDV units and other elite forces had suffered high losses and that it would "probably take years for Russia to reconstitute these forces."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weber |first=Peter |title=Ukraine says it destroyed Russia's Izyum command center, killing 200 but just missing Russia's top general |url=https://theweek.com/russo-ukrainian-war/1013143/ukraine-says-it-destroyed-russias-izyum-command-center-killing-200-but|access-date=2022-10-02 |website=The Week |date=2 May 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>  

On 19 June 2022, it was reported by [[Odesa]] military-civilian spokesperson [[Serhiy Bratchuk]]<ref name=htyt/> that Putin had sacked Serdyukov for his doomed bid to [[Battle of Hostomel|take Hostomel airfield]], which few of the invading soldiers survived.<ref name="posspur">{{cite news |title=Possible purges among Russian officers deteriorate command: Report |url=https://tvpworld.com/60821131/possible-purges-among-russian-officers-deteriorate-command-report |publisher=Telewizja Polska S.A. |date=18 June 2022}}</ref><ref name="htyt">{{cite news |title=Putin axes top general for 'mass casualties' amid war; 'Butcher of Bucha' is his replacement |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka_IwfSpa7E |agency=YouTube |publisher=Hindustan Times |date=19 June 2022}}</ref> This was confirmed by Russian media reports.<ref>{{cite news |date=21 June 2022 |title=RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, JUNE 21 |url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-june-21}}</ref> He was replaced by Colonel General [[Mikhail Teplinsky]].

According to [[BBC News Russian]] and the [[Mediazona]] news website, 1,937 VDV deaths had been documented by the end of August 2023, which included 340 officers, accounting for 6% of the 31,665 Russian fatalities who had been identified by name, and 8% of those who could identified by both name and service branch.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Четверть погибших - вчерашние гражданские: что известно о потерях России в Украине к февралю |trans-title=A quarter of the dead are yesterday's civilians: what is known about Russia's losses in Ukraine by February |work=[[BBC News Russian]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/russian/features-64506030 |access-date=3 February 2023}}<br />{{Cite news |date=13 February 2023 |title=Russian casualties in Ukraine. Mediazona count, updated |work=[[Mediazona]] |url=https://en.zona.media/article/2022/05/11/casualties_eng |access-date=13 February 2023}}</ref>

[[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|UK intelligence]] estimate that around 30,000 paratroop forces were deployed to Ukraine in 2022 and that 50% of those have been killed or wounded by summer 2023. A Russian General in August 2023 stated that 3,500 wounded paratroopers had refused to leave the front for treatment and 5,000 had returned to the front after treatment.<ref>{{cite web |title=Russia has lost at least 50 pct of its paratroopers in Ukraine: UK |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2023/08/06/Russia-has-lost-at-least-50-pct-of-its-paratroopers-in-Ukraine-UK |date=6 August 2023}}</ref>

As of 8 May 2025, at least 401 BMD-2, 171 BMD-4M, 105 BTR-D, and 12 unknown BTR-D/BMD-2 have been lost in the invasion.<ref name=Oryx>{{cite web|title=Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The 2022 Russian Invasion Of Ukraine |url=https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html|website=Oryx |access-date=2025-05-08}}</ref>