The BBC Russian Service, together with Mediazona and volunteers, have identified the names of 122 883 Russian servicemen who died during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The highest number of deaths were reported from Bashkortostan (5 945) and Tatarstan (5 605). Next on the list in terms of confirmed deaths are Sverdlovsk Oblast (4 439), Perm Krai (3 768) and Chelyabinsk Oblast (3 711).
According to journalistsʼ calculations, 27% of the confirmed dead were volunteers. In 2023, they accounted for only 14% of the total casualties.
In addition, 14% of all deaths are prisoners. The share of this category is gradually decreasing, as investigators and lawyers are now obliged to inform defendants and suspects that they can avoid criminal punishment if they agree to sign a contract with the Russian army. Since such people were not found guilty by a court decision, they are counted as volunteers, not as convicts.
Another 11% of all deaths were mobilized. Most likely, the real losses among this category may be much higher, since many obituaries do not indicate the status of the deceased.
The journalists also found out that a total of 5 540 Russian officers have been known to have died since the beginning of the invasion. Among them are 12 generals.
The BBC and Mediazona note that the actual casualties are likely much higher than can be established through open sources. Military experts they interviewed suggest that this analysis of Russian cemeteries, war memorials and obituaries could cover between 45% and 65% of the actual number of dead.
Taking into account the above estimate, the actual number of deaths on the Russian side could range from 189 000 to 273 000.
- According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as of August 8, Russia had lost over a million soldiers killed and wounded.
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