Rosstat leak points to 450,000 Russian war deaths
Belarusian hackers say a cyberattack on Russia's statistics agency uncovered records pointing to more than 450,000 wartime deaths, although the data have not been independently verified in full.
Two hacking groups report different death tolls
The Belarusian hacking group Cyber Partisans identified at least 393,881 Russian military personnel who died in the war against Ukraine by the end of August 2026.
The group analysed data obtained in a cyberattack on Russia's Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat). Its calculations included individuals whose deaths were attributed to military activity or its consequences.
Another hacking group, Silent Crow, put the death toll at approximately 450,100 since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Its broader estimate also includes deaths recorded as terrorist attacks, 14,160 non-combat deaths among military personnel and 13,671 people registered in Russia but reported to have died in occupied territories or Ukraine without a specified cause of death.
However, the figures do not represent exclusively combat fatalities. The Moscow Times reported that Silent Crow's dataset also includes civilians killed in airstrikes and during Ukraine's 2024 incursion into Russia's Kursk region.
The publication cross-checked a random sample of 50 names against records compiled by BBC Russian and Mediazona but said it could not verify the entire dataset.
Actual losses could be significantly higher
The hackers said their database does not contain the individuals' names. Cyber Partisans also estimated that Russia's overall military casualties, including wounded personnel, soldiers left with disabilities and missing servicemen, could be three to five times higher than the number of deaths.
Separately, BBC Russian and independent outlet Mediazona had identified 285,023 Russian military personnel killed by October 30, based on publicly available information.
Volunteers accounted for the largest category, with 99,204 deaths, followed by contract soldiers, with 74,059, prisoners recruited for the war, with 27,732, and mobilised personnel, with 20,901.
The figures represent individually documented deaths rather than a comprehensive count of all fatalities. Mediazona and BBC Russian continue to update their records as new evidence becomes available.
Independent estimates point to an even higher toll
Estimates vary considerably depending on the methodology used.
According to an analysis published by The Economist, between 374,000 and 770,000 Russian military personnel may have been killed by the end of October. Including wounded personnel, total Russian military casualties could range from 1.4 million to 2.1 million.
The upper figure is a statistical estimate, not a confirmed death toll.
Meanwhile, European intelligence assessments cited by Bloomberg indicate that more than 54,000 Russian troops were killed or heavily wounded in October alone, marking the highest monthly toll since the full-scale invasion began.
The figures suggest that Russia's military continues to sustain substantial losses as the war enters its fifth year.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
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