Journalists, in collaboration with volunteers, have identified over 90,000 Russians who died during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They also reported an increase in casualties among "volunteers." This is outlined in a joint investigation by Mediazona and the BBC Russian Service.
Using open-source data, the names of 90,019 Russian soldiers killed during the invasion have been identified. Of all the casualties, 23%—almost one in four—were individuals who signed contracts after February 24, 2022. In comparison, volunteers made up only 14% of the total casualties by November 2023. The average age of the deceased in 2024, based on updated data, is 36, which is higher than in the first two years of the full-scale war.
More than half of the identified deceased were connected to the Russian military and the National Guard at the time of the invasion. 17% of all known casualties were prisoners sent to the front from correctional colonies. 12% of the deceased had been mobilized.
"Since October 2023, we have observed a sharp and steady increase in losses among volunteers, while the share of prisoners has gradually decreased," the research notes.
This is primarily due to the fact that individuals are now being sent to the front before their trial. In 2024, the Russian parliament passed laws allowing criminal cases to be suspended if the accused signs a contract with the military. Journalists counted these individuals as volunteers.
Journalists also noted that a sort of competition is ongoing among Russian regions for new volunteers. The average amount of additional payments is approaching 2 million rubles (over $20,000 at the official exchange rate). This week alone, new payment increases were announced in Yamalo-Nenets, Mari El, and Primorsky Krai.
The total payment for new contract soldiers in the Samara region (including federal subsidies) has reached a record 4 million rubles (almost $41,000).
The leader in payments among municipalities is the capital of Bashkortostan, Ufa. Since September, this republic has been leading all Russian regions in confirmed casualties.
As of January 24, 2025, the government and media in Bashkortostan reported the highest number of military casualties from the region. At least 3,932 residents of the republic have died in the war in Ukraine.
"The actual number of the dead is higher—this only includes those whose names we have been able to confirm from open sources. At the same time, eight out of ten deceased came from rural areas or towns with populations of less than 100,000," journalists assert.
According to the study, 17% of the confirmed casualties were professional military personnel. Many had graduated from military schools and were officers, warrant officers, or elite specialists, such as special forces sergeants or special forces units of the National Guard.
Among career military personnel, the largest losses were in the motorized rifle troops (5,931 killed) and paratroopers (3,223 killed).
"The real losses are obviously much higher than can be determined from open sources. Military experts we interviewed suggest that an analysis of Russian cemeteries, military memorials, and obituaries may cover between 45% and 65% of the actual number of casualties," the journalists state.
They estimate the actual number of Russian casualties to be between 138,500 and 200,000.
