STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT. Over 10,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since Moscow invaded Ukraine, according to a tally of confirmed military deaths kept by the BBC Russian Service and independent media outlet Mediazona.
While the real scale of Russia’s war losses is likely far higher, the tally is the most accurate independent database of Russian fatalities.
Russia has admitted to just 5,937 military deaths in Ukraine. Western estimates put the figure at about 100,000.
The BBC Russian Service and Mediazona use open-source data — media reports, social networks and official statements — to verify the deaths of soldiers and last week their total hit 10,002.
Researchers from the two outlets also drew on information from a group of volunteers who monitor local cemeteries in more than 60 towns and villages.
The database contains significant insights: not just the soldiers’ names and dates of death, but in many cases information about their ranks, hometowns, ages and military affiliations as well.
