Through open source research, Mediazona, a Russian independent media outlet, together with BBC Russia, confirmed the names of 33,904 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 on Sept. 22, the names of nearly 1,250 Russian soldiers have been added to the list of casualties.
The publication notes that number of Russian casualties is likely considerably higher since the information they have verified so far comes from public sources, including social media posts from relatives, local news reports, and confirmation from local authorities. A joint investigation by Mediazone and Meduza estimated that by the end of May, Russia's war in Ukraine resulted in the deaths of 47,000 Russians under the age of 50.
Since Russia's full-scare invasion began, over 2,500 officers, with 303 holding the rank of Lieutenant Colonel or above have been killed in combat in Ukraine. In contrast, there have been over 3,900 casualties among newly recruited Russian soldiers.
A majority of those killed in action come from Krasnodar, Sverdlovsk, Bashkiria, Chelyabinsk, and Moscow regions, as well as the Buryatia republic.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
