WASHINGTON — More than 2 million Russian and Ukrainian troops have been killed or wounded in the four years that Russia has been waging war against its neighbor, according to a new study, a bleak milestone as Russia’s assault grinds on.

The study, published on Wednesday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said Russia has borne the heavier toll, with 1.4 million troops killed or wounded since February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Of that total, 450,000 were killed, a number four times greater than U.S. fatalities in all wars combined since World War II.

Ukrainian forces have suffered 525,000 to 625,000 casualties, including 125,000 to 150,000 deaths, the study said.

Officials cautioned that casualty figures have been difficult to estimate throughout the war because Moscow is believed to routinely undercount its war dead and injured, and Ukraine does not disclose its official figures. The study relied on casualty figures from U.S. and British government estimates, among other sources.

But the figures are a grim accounting of Russia’s slow progress in Ukraine, with Russian troops proceeding in some places at less than 165 feet a day. In February, Ukraine gained more ground than it lost for the first month since 2023 as it went on the offensive in the south, the analysts said.

Russians outnumber Ukrainians on the battlefield almost 3-1, and Russia has a larger population from which to replenish its ranks. So even though the study puts the number of Ukrainian troops lost at a smaller amount, Ukraine is losing a larger share of its smaller army.

More than 400,000 Russians are believed to be facing about 250,000 Ukrainians on the front line, military analysts say.

Russia has maintained its troop levels despite the high casualties by carrying out its first draft since World War II and by enlisting felons and debtors, among other tactics. President Vladimir Putin has paid bounties to new recruits and has pressed people accused of crimes to enlist in exchange for dismissing charges.

The report comes as President Donald Trump has largely disengaged from the war. At a summit in France last month, Trump made clear that the conflict, which he once said he could end in 24 hours, was not among his priorities.

“Look, we have nothing to do with it,” Trump said, adding, “It has no impact on us, other than we sell weapons” to Ukraine.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Helene Cooper
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