Journalists from the BBC Russian Service, together with the publication “Mediazona” and a team of volunteers, have managed to establish the names of 78,329 Russian soldiers killed since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine using open data.
Calculations show that the rate of increase in the confirmed death toll is the highest for the entire duration of the war. The figures for September, October and November exceed the 2023 figures by one and a half times, and the 2022 figures by more than two times.
In September, researchers recorded an average of 140 confirmed deaths of Russian soldiers per day. In October, these figures rose to 152 confirmed deaths per day.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000The greatest number of losses are among volunteers, those who signed a contract after the start of the full-scale invasion. Journalists managed to confirm the deaths of 16,551 volunteers – this is 23% of the total number of confirmed losses on the Russian side. The average age of those killed in 2024 is 38 years. At least 56% of all the dead are people who were not connected with the Russian army at the start of the war.
The increase in losses, according to the authors of the study, may be the result of the active offensive of the Russian army in the Donetsk region, as well as gradually emerging confirmations of the deaths of Russian servicemen in the Kursk region, writes the BBC.
The researchers keep lists of the dead, focusing on reports from open sources: the media, statements by local administrations, posts by relatives on social networks and data from cemeteries. According to journalists, the real number of deaths on the Russian side may be significantly higher.
Prepared by: Nina Petrovich