Nightmare for Putin as Ukraine kills '5,000 Russian troops per week'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the US is ready to help end the "senseless" Russia-Ukraine war. 12:11, Fri, Jul 24, 2026 Updated: 12:32, Fri, Jul 24, 2026 Russia is losing 5,000 to 6,000 troops per week, Marco Rubio says (Image: Getty)Vladimir Putin is losing 5,000 troops per week in the Russia-Ukraine war, the US Secretary of State says. Marco Rubio said US President Donald Trump wants young Russians not to be killed at a rate of 5,000 a week on the battlefield.Mr Rubio said the US is prepared to play a constructive role to bring about an end to "a senseless war". He said that the same message was conveyed to Russia during a meeting in Manila with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Thursday (July 23). But he admitted there is no quick path to a deal, saying diplomacy would require a sustained effort and fresh ideas.Russia and Ukraine rarely publish official figures for their own troop losses. A July estimate from the US Centre for Strategic and International Studies said the Russian military has suffered 1.4 million casualties on the battlefield and some 450,000 deaths since the full-scale invasion was launched in February 2022.Britain's GCHQ director Anne Keast-But...