Russian soldiers missing in action labeled deserters to mask casualty figures, media reports

Russian military commanders are classifying missing soldiers as deserters to obscure the true scale of battlefield losses, the Russian independent outlet IStories reported on July 28.

By labeling missing soldiers as deserters, Russia not only conceals its true war losses but also avoids paying social benefits to the families of the deceased, the outlet noted.

Moscow and Kyiv rarely officially report their losses, and the Kyiv Independent could not verify the figures. Ukraine estimates that Russia's overall casualties during the full-scale war have surpassed 1 million.

IStories received over 50 complaints from relatives of missing soldiers sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin's administration and found similar falsifications in at least 25 units across 11 Russian regions. In most cases, falsified documents claim the soldiers went missing during combat missions.

While commanders are not supposed to declare a soldier a deserter without cause, the investigation found that in practice, simply missing a duty call can result in a wrongful "deserter" designation.

IStories also found a case where a soldier was still officially labeled a deserter even after his death and burial.

Between January and June 2025, Russian military courts processed over 26,000 cases seeking to declare individuals missing or deceased, surpassing the total for all of the previous year, Russian independent media outlet Mediazona reported on June 5.

Meanwhile, around 50,500 Russian soldiers were officially recorded as deserters in 2024 and charged with evading military service, IStories reported on March 5, citing OSINT-group Frontelligence Insight.

Russian independent media outlet Mediazona, in collaboration with the BBC Russian service, previously identified nearly 120,000 Russian military personnel killed in Ukraine, noting that the actual figure could be higher.

Ukraine's General Staff reported on July 28 that Russian military losses reached around 1,050,250 personnel, including those killed, wounded, and missing.

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The Kyiv IndependentMyroslava Chaiun