An analysis of leaked Russian government records estimates that at least 450,000 Russian military personnel have died since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, with the death toll potentially reaching 550,000 by August 2026.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
MOSCOW — Russia has suffered at least 450,000 military deaths during its war against Ukraine, with the actual number potentially exceeding 550,000, according to an analysis of leaked government records published Friday, Nov. 13, by the Financial Times.
The Financial Times investigation examined data obtained from Russia’s federal statistics agency, Rosstat, providing an assessment of military fatalities since President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The analysis identified approximately 410,000 deaths directly associated with the war in the leaked records. Investigators identified additional fatalities through information about military status, age and place of death, as well as court records concerning service members whose bodies could not be recovered.
Accounting for reporting delays and incomplete records, the Financial Times estimated that the number of Russian deaths could have reached approximately 550,000 by early August 2026.
The figures concern deaths rather than total military casualties, which also include wounded personnel. Russia has not released a comprehensive, independently verifiable accounting of its military losses.
The leaked records originated from a cyberattack attributed to the Belarusian and Ukrainian hacking groups Cyberpartisans BY and Silent Crow. The dataset reportedly contains information on approximately 11.5 million deaths recorded by Russian authorities, including deaths associated with military operations in Ukraine.
The Financial Times identified approximately 12,000 additional likely military fatalities through the recorded circumstances of death. Another 42,000 deaths involved military-age men whose deaths were established through court proceedings, including cases in which families had been unable to recover bodies.
Reporting delays further complicate efforts to establish a definitive death toll. According to the investigation, Russian authorities were still processing documentation in 2026 for some individuals killed during the 2022 siege of Mariupol.
The data showed that approximately 120,000 deaths were associated with fighting around Avdiivka and Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, accounting for roughly one-third of cases in which a location of death was recorded. Another 48,000 fatalities were linked to the neighboring Bakhmut district.
Those locations have been among the most heavily contested areas of the war. Russian forces have conducted repeated offensives in eastern Ukraine, with extensive fighting over cities, transportation routes and surrounding territory.
The death toll associated with each of those battle areas exceeded the approximately 15,000 Soviet military deaths recorded during the Soviet Union’s 1979-1989 war in Afghanistan.
The records also indicate that the average age of Russian military personnel killed in Ukraine has increased substantially since the invasion began. In 2022, the average age was 34. By 2025, it had risen to 40.
Men between the ages of 35 and 44 accounted for approximately 158,000 recorded deaths, making them the largest age group represented in the dataset. About 10% of those killed were between 18 and 24 years old, with that group’s share declining over the course of the conflict.
The findings also documented substantial geographic differences in military fatalities. Russia’s poorer regions and areas with large ethnic minority populations experienced disproportionately high losses.
In Zabaykalsky Krai, the records identified approximately 12,300 deaths, equivalent to roughly one fatality for every 80 residents. Bashkortostan recorded approximately 15,800 deaths.
The investigation also identified at least 4,141 likely deaths among foreign nationals fighting for Russia. These included citizens of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Colombia, Nepal, Bangladesh, India and several African countries.
A separate examination of the leaked Rosstat records by Bloomberg identified 11,335 deaths involving foreign-born or foreign-national personnel serving Russia, including individuals who had acquired Russian citizenship and residents of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.
According to The Moscow Times’ reporting on those findings, foreign military deaths increased from approximately 630 in 2022 to more than 5,500 in 2025. That analysis used a broader classification of foreign fighters than the Financial Times’ count.
The reported losses have raised questions about Russia’s ability to replace personnel while maintaining offensive operations. Russia’s official military recruitment target is approximately 35,000 new personnel per month, while battlefield losses during periods of intensive fighting have reached tens of thousands monthly.
An earlier Center for Strategic and International Studies assessment published July 1 estimated that Russia had suffered approximately 1.4 million battlefield casualties, including as many as 450,000 deaths, between February 2022 and June 2026.
The organization also found that Russian forces had experienced extremely slow territorial advances in several contested areas and had lost more territory than they gained during April and May 2026.
The Financial Times’ newer estimates suggest that Russia’s military death toll continued increasing during the summer. Its calculations indicate that fatalities could reach approximately 650,000 by the end of December if the death rate observed in January persisted throughout 2026. That figure is conditional and is not a confirmed death count.
The leaked figures have not been independently verified in full, and the Russian government has not confirmed the Financial Times’ estimates. Rosstat acknowledged experiencing a cyberattack but denied that hackers accessed protected data.
The findings provide additional information about Russian military losses as the war approaches its fifth year, while negotiations continue over a possible settlement between Moscow and Kyiv.
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