More than 400,000 Russians killed fighting in Ukraine war, leaked data suggests
Summary
Leaked Russian death-certificate data reviewed by the Guardian records 412,576 deaths explicitly linked to the war in Ukraine. The full dataset could not be independently verified, and researchers say it likely understates Russian military deaths because some people remain missing or unrecorded and official records are delayed.Key Facts
- The dataset contains more than 11 million death certificates, including information about age, residence and place of death.
- Two hacking groups said they obtained the data; Rosstat confirmed a hack but denied that sensitive information had leaked.
- The reported 412,576 war-linked deaths were identified through cause-of-death codes or written references to combat and military operations.
- British intelligence estimated about 500,000 Russian soldiers had been killed by September; independent outlet Mediazona has identified nearly 286,000 by name and estimates the true toll is closer to half a million.
- Analyst Janis Kluge said official death records typically lag deaths by about six months and assessed the dataset as likely authentic.
- War-related fatalities accounted for about a third of deaths among men aged 18 to 49 in Buryatia, Tuva and Zabaykalsky Krai from the invasion’s start to mid-2024, compared with about 10% in Moscow and St Petersburg.
- The data indicates some of the deadliest months occurred in late 2024 and 2025, with several months exceeding 15,000 deaths, according to Kluge.
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