Russia is now suffering battlefield losses at a rate that exceeds its ability to recruit replacements for the first time since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, the British Telegraph outlet reported Monday night.

Western officials reported that Vladimir Putin’s forces have endured nearly 40,000 casualties per month since November, while recruiting no more than about 35,000 new soldiers to sustain the war effort.

Ukraine’s sustained counter-attacks have driven Russia’s cumulative losses beyond 1.25 million, surpassing the total number of US casualties recorded during the Second World War.

Al Carns, the UK’s Armed Forces minister, said Moscow is finding it “more and more difficult” to train new troops, noting that the Kremlin’s financial incentives are failing to attract recruits. “People are realising that it’s a one-way ticket,” he said.

Diplomatic efforts to reach a settlement have stalled in recent weeks, despite American pressure to push forward with negotiations.

On the eve of the invasion’s fourth anniversary, Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Putin intends to ignite a global conflict, telling the BBC: “I believe he has already started it.”

The Telegraph revealed earlier this week that Russia has been purchasing properties near key military sites across Europe as part of what intelligence officials describe as preparations for a coordinated sabotage campaign.

These suspicious acquisitions – located near the MI6 headquarters and the nearby US embassy in London, as well as RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus – have heightened fears that the Kremlin is expanding its “hybrid war” operations.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated Britain’s commitment to supporting Ukraine, insisting: “Russia is not winning this war.”

To entice volunteers from poorer regions, Russia has offered bonuses of around $50,000 (£40,000), though analysts doubt the long-term sustainability of such incentives.

According to Carns, roughly 87 per cent of Russia’s casualties have resulted from drone strikes, which now dominate combat operations. A single drone, he said, can be as effective as 22 rounds of heavy artillery.

Moscow’s challenges have grown this month after Elon Musk blocked Russian access to his Starlink satellite internet service.

With many drones rendered unusable and troops forced to rely on easily intercepted radio communications, Russian battlefield effectiveness has noticeably deteriorated.

“The Russians’ intensity dropped when they were disconnected from Starlink,” a Ukrainian soldier told The Telegraph. “In two days, we regained Sosnivka [in Dnipropetrovsk] and are on the way to Huliapole [in Zaporizhzhia].”

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, warned that advances in artificial intelligence and drone warfare have transformed the conflict, exposing troops on both sides to unprecedented danger.

“This has led to the creation of a robotic kill zone, which today extends at least 25 kilometres deep,” he said.

Defence Secretary John Healey added that Britain is “more determined than ever to stand strong with Ukrainians.”