Leaked Data Reveals 400,000 Russian Military Deaths in Ukraine War

A recent leak of confidential data from Russia's Federal State Statistics Service, known as Rosstat, has revealed that approximately 400,000 Russian military personnel have died in Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022. The data, obtained by Ukrainian and Belarusian hacking groups, Silent Cartel and Cyber Partisans, was leaked on November 1. It shows that from February 24, 2022, to late August 2026, there were 392,700 recorded deaths related to the military operations in Ukraine.

The hacking groups gained access to around 25,000 computers and extracted nearly 23 terabytes of data, including records and information related to Russian military losses in Ukraine. Rosstat acknowledged that its systems were subjected to cyberattacks between October 29 and November 1 but denied that its databases were breached or sensitive information was leaked. The leaked data is significant as it provides a rare insight into the human cost of the war for Russia, especially since Moscow has reduced the publication of official statistics since the war began.

The data was obtained by analyzing over 11 million death certificates, which included detailed information about the deceased, such as age, place of residence, and location of death. The certificates showed that many deaths were directly linked to the war, either through official classifications or textual references to military operations, airstrikes, and drone attacks. This information was made available to a limited number of media institutions.

The Kremlin has kept military losses under wraps, passing laws in 2015 that classify information on military casualties during special operations or wars as state secrets. Since the Ukraine war began, Russian authorities have avoided publishing detailed and updated casualty figures, prompting independent media and documentation groups to rely on alternative sources and death records to estimate the actual number of losses.

While the leaked data indicates around 392,700 deaths related to the war, this number may not represent the total count of Russian fatalities. Some cases, such as soldiers reported missing, unidentified bodies, or military personnel who died later from battle injuries without explicit mention of the war, might not be included in the records. Additionally, some deaths might have been registered under different causes or omitted from the analyzed databases.

The hacking group Silent Cartel estimated a higher number of fatalities, around 450,000, using a broader methodology that includes additional deaths not directly linked to combat and records without clear cause of death. The discrepancy highlights the challenges in determining the exact number of casualties in the conflict.

The leaked data provides a rare glimpse into the human cost of the war for Russia and underscores the secrecy surrounding military casualties. The estimates of Russian military deaths in Ukraine have significant implications for understanding the scale of the conflict and its impact on Russia and the international community.

Key points

• Approximately 400,000 Russian military personnel have died in Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022.
• The leaked data was obtained from Russia's Federal State Statistics Service and shows 392,700 recorded deaths related to military operations in Ukraine.
• The actual number of Russian fatalities may be higher due to missing or misclassified records.