Mediazona confirms identities of nearly 60,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine
Through open-source research, Mediazona, a Russian independent media outlet, together with BBC Russia, confirmed the names of 59,725 Russian soldiers who had been killed since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Since Mediazona's last update in early July, the names of 1,518 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.
On July 5, Russian media outlets Meduza and Mediazona published a report indicating that approximately 120,000 Russian troops have been killed since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russian army casualties have risen sharply in recent months amid a failed renewed Russian offensive.
According to research by BBC Russia and Mediazona, Russia lost over 10,000 soldiers in Ukraine over the past six months. President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed in an interview with the BBC on July 18 that around 20,000 Russian troops were killed during Russia's failed offensive in Kharkiv Oblast.
The Kyiv Independent is unable to independently confirm either figure.
Since Russia began its all-out war against Ukraine, over 3,700 officers, with 437 holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel or higher have been killed in combat in Ukraine. The analysts note that at least 11,933 Russian inmates have been killed on Ukraine's eastern front.
As of July 22, 2024, the Ukrainian military estimates Russian combat losses at 567,760 troops.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
