Russia's Ministry of Labor and Social Protection has ordered more than 307,900 death certificates for families of soldiers killed since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, independent Russian outlet Verstka reported on May 27, citing official procurement data.
While such documents were issued before the war, Verstka noted that the scale of current purchases far exceeds pre-invasion levels. Before 2022, the number of certificates for deceased soldiers' relatives had consistently declined.
The records do not distinguish between service in Ukraine and other conflicts, though the spike in procurement coincides with Russia's massive losses in the war. Russia does not release official casualty numbers, but independent estimates indicate significant losses.
So far this year, the ministry has ordered 357,700 certificates — 317,500 for veterans and 40,200 for the families of fallen soldiers or those who died from war-related injuries.
According to the figures, the orders span the period from 2022 to 2025, with the largest volume placed in 2023, over 250,000 certificates for families of deceased servicemen and more than 800,000 for combat veterans.
The procurement numbers dropped sharply in 2024 before surging again in 2025.
Russian media outlet Mediazona, in partnership with the BBC's Russian service, has verified the identities of 109,625 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine, relying on open-source material such as obituaries, social media posts, and local news reports.
The investigators caution that the real death toll is much higher.
Ukraine's military places the number of Russian personnel killed or seriously wounded since the invasion at 982,840 as of May 27. These figures include not only fatalities but also troops permanently removed from combat due to injury.
Dominic Culverwell
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