Almost 283,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine identified by media investigation
on Google
Russian independent media outlet Mediazona, in collaboration with the BBC Russian service, has confirmed the identities of 282,993 Russian military personnel killed in Ukraine.
Since Mediazona last updated the figures in early October, the names of 6,880 Russian soldiers were added to the list of those killed. The latest count covers confirmed military deaths from Feb. 24, 2022, through Oct. 23, 2026.
The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the reporting.
The journalists caution that the actual figures are likely significantly higher, as their findings are based on publicly available information, including obituaries, social media posts by relatives, regional news reports, and statements from local authorities.
As of Oct. 23, 2026, the deaths of 7,920 officers serving in the Russian military and other security services had been independently verified.
Officers have accounted for a shrinking share of confirmed Russian military deaths since the start of the full-scale invasion, according to Mediazona. During the initial phase of the war, when Russia relied heavily on professional contract troops, officers represented as much as 10% of those killed. By November 2024, their share had fallen to just 2–3%.
The decline reflects changes in battlefield tactics and Russia's growing reliance on recruited volunteer infantry, who face a substantially higher risk of being killed than their commanding officers.
Although estimates differ, Western intelligence assessments and independent research have generally put Russian military casualties significantly above Ukrainian losses. The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated in July 2026 that Russia had suffered approximately 1.4 million casualties since the start of the full-scale invasion, compared with 525,000–625,000 for Ukraine.
"Russian fatalities in Ukraine are more than four times greater than all U.S. fatalities in all wars combined since World War II, and more than nine times greater than all Soviet and Russian fatalities in all wars combined since World War II," CSIS wrote.
