NATO chief warns young Russians they would die in Ukraine war

"You are being sold a raw deal," Rutte says during a media briefing in Kyiv

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after talks, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Jun 3, 2026. REUTERS

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday warned young Russians that they would probably die if they sign up to join Russia's war in Ukraine.

"You are being sold a raw deal," Rutte said during a press conference in Kyiv, in remarks he directly addressed to "young Russians and their families".

"Men like you who join the fight - you won't be trained. Equipment they'll provide you with is substandard. There is a very high chance you'll die or be wounded while you're out there," he said.

"And odds are, that if you are wounded, you will be left to suffer in the mud and die."

Rutte said Russia was incurring "absolutely staggering" losses in Ukraine, where he said more than 30,000 Russian soldiers died every month - matching figures he has cited before.

"This means losing more men in one month than the Soviet Union did in 10 years in the 1980s in Afghanistan," the NATO chief said.

"That's not abstract," he said. "That will probably be you."

Russia, which officially describes the conflict as a "special military operation" and promises recruits large salaries, has long argued that NATO's eastward enlargement since the end of the Cold War — and the prospect of Ukraine joining the alliance — pose an existential threat to its security.