Through open-source research, the Russian independent media outlet Mediazona, together with BBC Russia, confirmed the names of 37,052 Russian soldiers who have been killed since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Since the previous update on Nov. 3, the names of nearly 1,300 Russian soldiers have been added to the list of casualties. The journalists specify that the actual figures are likely considerably higher since the information they have verified so far comes from public sources, including obituaries, posts by relatives, news in regional media, and reports by local authorities.
The number of obituaries the media have been tracking increased drastically in the last few weeks, with about 100-110 cases of killed soldiers discovered daily.
This increase is connected with the attempts of the Russian army to take Avdiivka, according to Mediazona: "We see dozens of obituaries indicating this place of death, others are also obviously related to Avdiivka, even if the place of death is not specified."
In the latest update, 14 names were added to the list who had the rank of lieutenant colonel or higher, "nearly setting an all-time record," according to Mediazona. A "similar increase among officers is reminiscent of the losses sustained in the summer of 2022, coinciding with Ukraine’s initial use of long-range HIMARS missiles. The recent growth may be tied to Ukraine receiving ATACMS."
Most of those high-ranking officers weren't killed in strikes on headquarters, but on the front lines, usually as commanders of battalions or Storm Z units, a private military company created by Russia’s Defense Ministry.
Alexander Khrebet
(Updated: )
