Journalists have identified the names of 84,761 Russian soldiers who died during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to a joint investigation by BBC Russia and Mediazona.
Since the media outlets' last update in early December, the names of 2,711 Russian soldiers have been added to the list of casualties.
The journalists note that the actual figures are likely significantly higher, as their verified information comes from public sources such as obituaries, posts by relatives, regional media reports, and statements from local authorities.
According to the outlets' conclusions for the year, 2024 will likely mark the "war's deadliest year," with a current count of over 20,000 confirmed deaths over the past 12 months — although final conclusions cannot yet be made as data on casualties continues to emerge.
The confirmed figures comes as the U.K. announced its casualty estimates earlier in the week, estimating that Russian losses have exceeded 750,000 Russian soldiers, and are expected to surpass 1 million Russian troops within six months.
The U.K.'s latest estimate are in line with figures from Ukraine's General Staff, which, as of Dec. 21, sits at 772,280 troops lost since the start of the war. The figures do not specify killed or wounded, though the overall consensus is that it includes dead, wounded, missing, and captured.
Russia has gained ground in eastern Ukraine and Kursk Oblast in recent months but at the cost of heavy casualties.
Russian losses reached record highs in November and December, with a daily high of 2,030 troops lost in November, marking the highest daily loss since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Russian losses exceeded 45,000 troops and $3 billion worth of equipment in November.
Moscow does not disclose its casualty figures, though a Defense Ministry official recently let slip that the department received 48,000 requests to identify missing soldiers.
President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed in a rare statement that Ukraine had lost 43,000 soldiers on the battlefield since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn
