Mediazona confirms the identities of nearly 73,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine

Through open source research, Mediazona, a Russian independent media outlet, together with BBC Russia confirmed the names of 72,899 Russian soldiers who had been killed since the start of the large-scale invasion of Russia.

Since Mediazona’s last update At the end of September, the names of 1,842 Russian soldiers became known added to the list of victims.

The journalists note that the actual figures are likely significantly higher because their verified information comes from public sources such as obituaries, reports from relatives, regional media reports and statements from local authorities.

According to the journalist, Russian soldiers killed in 2024 tend to be increasingly older as the average age for volunteer recruits continues to rise. float. The large number of volunteer recruits who died in the war are most prominently between the ages of 48 and 50.

Since Russia began its all-out war against Ukraine, more than 4,100 officers have been killed in fighting in Ukraine. The analysts also note that at least 13,438 Russian prisoners have been killed on Ukraine’s eastern front.

According to Mediazona estimates, a majority of the victims come from Rostov, Sverdlovsk, Bashkiria and Chelyabinsk Oblasts, as well as from the Republic of Buryatia. A surge in Kremlin recruitment in the predominantly Muslim regions of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan has also led to a rise in fighting deaths in recent months.

In recent months, amid the renewed Kharkov offensive and the Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk Oblast, Russian forces have suffered some of the heaviest losses since the start of the full-scale war.

On July 5Russian media outlets Meduza and Mediazona published an estimated report indicating that around 120,000 Russian troops have been killed since the start of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine – although that number is likely significantly higher in the months since the report was published.

From August 12, 2024, the Ukrainian army estimates Russian combat losses amount to 667,630 troops – likely including Russian military personnel killed, wounded, captured and missing.

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