Russia's mounting losses: Over 100,000 soldiers confirmed dead
According to the independent Russian service Mediazona, 109,635 deaths of Russian soldiers have been confirmed, who have died since 2022 in the war against Ukraine initiated by Russia's leader Vladimir Putin.
What do you need to know?
- The independent Russian service Mediazona confirmed the death of 109,635 Russian soldiers in Ukraine since 2022.
- Journalists and volunteers from the portal and the Russian BBC service confirm the identities of the deceased based on open sources.
- These include obituaries, cemetery books, social media, regional media, as well as accounts of events such as tree planting ceremonies to honour the deceased.
The services emphasise that the actual number of casualties may be much higher. After analysing Russian casualty statistics, it is estimated that the number of dead may be around 165,000 soldiers.
Among the Russian soldiers who died on the front, there were over 27,000 volunteers, 17,000 convicts recruited from prisons and penal colonies, and 12,000 mobilised soldiers. The deaths of over 5,000 officers have also been confirmed, Mediazona reports.
The war in Ukraine: Russian losses announced
Since the last update two weeks ago, the death of at least 2,000 Russian soldiers has been confirmed. Mediazona notes that the confirmed deaths represent "the minimum undeniable number" of the dead, as official Russian information is not published, and various centres base their estimates on different sources.
The American Institute for the Study of War estimated in February of this year that 172,000 soldiers had died on the Russian side. In April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky estimated enemy losses at 350,000 dead. Meanwhile, the British Ministry of Defence estimated in March the number of fallen Russian soldiers to be between 200,000 and 250,000.
