At Least 50,000 Russian Military Deaths, Likely Thousands More, Recorded In Ukraine War

An independent Russian media outlet has documented more than 50,000 deaths among Russian military personnel since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, and says tens of thousands more are believed to have died.

Mediazona, which tracks Russian casualties in the war with the BBC based on deaths recorded by open sources, said in its latest update that 50,471 members of the Russian military had died in the war since it began in February 2022.

More than 85,000 Russian military members have died based on the number of inheritance settlements for slain soldiers that have been recorded, according to Mediazona.

"We know the names of more than 3,300 officers of the army and other security forces. 390 of them hold the rank of lieutenant colonel and above," Mediazona wrote.

"The real number of the dead is calculated according to the register of inheritance cases and is current as of March 15, 2024 -- about 85,000 people."

The outlet also said that Russia had lost a large number of tanks, armored personnel carriers, and artillery units in recent weeks, although casualties from those losses were not included in the updated figures.

Russia loses about 1,200 soldiers per week, according to Mediazona, with most casualties coming from Russia's Krasnodar and Bashkortostan regions.

Ukraine's armed forces estimate that the Russian military has suffered 451,730 casualties in the war, including deaths and injuries, while the United States and British intelligence both say that Russian casualties top 300,000.

Kyiv has claimed that more than 180,000 Russian servicemen have been killed.

Russia rarely provides casualty figures. The last estimate, provided seven months into the war, stood at just under 6,000 people.

Ukraine has said that it has lost 31,000 soldiers since the war began.