Two hacker groups say records accessed from Russia’s state statistics agency point to nearly 400,000 Russian deaths linked to the war in Ukraine, though the data has not been fully verified. (Foto: Instagram)
Two hacker groups say they accessed millions of documents from Russia’s state statistics agency, Rosstat, and found records indicating nearly 400,000 Russian deaths linked to the war against Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The figures have not been independently verified in full and do not constitute an official count of Russian military deaths.
The findings were attributed to Cyber Partisans, a group linked to the opposition in Belarus, and Ukraine’s Silent Crow. Cyber Partisans said at least 393,000 death certificates registered through the end of August 2026 explicitly referred to the war or military operations. Silent Crow estimated about 450,000 deaths, using broader criteria that included soldiers killed outside combat, in occupied territories, and in circumstances connected to the conflict.
The Russian government has released few details about military losses, treating casualty information as secret since the early months of the invasion. Rosstat confirmed cyberattacks on its systems between October 29 and November 1, but denied that protected information had been taken and said it was investigating the incident. The data’s authenticity remains uncertain: The Guardian, which also reviewed the material, reported that it could not verify the entire database, though experts said the figures appeared consistent with other estimates.
The documents reportedly contain more than 11 million death certificates, including details about age, residence, and circumstances of death. Janis Kluge, a researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs consulted by The Guardian, said the actual number of Russian military deaths could be closer to 500,000. Missing soldiers, unidentified bodies, and delays in official death registrations complicate efforts to establish a total.
Other estimates vary. In July, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a U.S. research institute, estimated about 450,000 Russian military deaths since the invasion began; including wounded and missing personnel, Russian casualties could reach 1.4 million. A joint investigation by the BBC and the independent Russian outlet Mediazona identified about 285,800 Russian service members killed by name. The investigators described that figure as a conservative count because it includes only deaths confirmed through public sources. For Ukraine, the CSIS estimated that deaths, injuries, and missing personnel could total 625,000, including as many as 150,000 deaths. The estimates cover different periods and use different methods, making direct comparisons difficult.
The records also suggest that deaths have fallen disproportionately on poorer regions far from Russia’s largest cities, particularly in Siberia. In Buryatia, Tuva, and Zabaykalsky in eastern Russia, war-related deaths accounted for about one-third of deaths among men ages 18 to 49 from the start of the invasion through mid-2024. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, the share was close to 10 percent. The analysis reported by The Guardian also found that some months in late 2024 and in 2025 saw more than 15,000 war-related deaths recorded.
The figures emerged amid expectations that Russia and Ukraine would resume U.S.-mediated negotiations, with delegations from both countries expected to meet in Abu Dhabi. U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were expected to take part. Topics under discussion were to include postwar security guarantees, reducing hostilities, and humanitarian issues. Russia and Ukraine remain engaged in fighting, and no final agreement to end the war has been reached.
