Russian Military Deaths in Ukraine Exceed 150,000, Says Independent Analysis

Verified Russian military fatalities in Ukraine have reached at least 152,142 since the full-scale invasion began, as reported by a collaborative count from BBC Russian and Mediazona.

This figure is derived from verified open-source information such as obituaries and court documents and pertains exclusively to Russian nationals, excluding combatants from the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics.

The highest confirmed death tolls were observed in the republics of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan, as well as the Sverdlovsk region, with recorded losses of 7,643, 6,599, and 5,386, respectively.

In comparison, Moscow, which has a population exceeding 13 million, reported 4,520 deaths, while Chechnya documented 372 fatalities.

According to BBC Russian and Mediazona, the impact of military losses disproportionately affects residents of smaller towns and rural communities.

Approximately 67% of the identified casualties originated from localities with populations under 100,000, representing less than half of the nation’s total population.

Alexei Zakharov, an economist at the University of Chicago, noted to BBC Russian that the level of casualties is closely linked to the extent to which local budgets rely on federal funding.

Western estimates indicate that Russia’s total military losses are considerably greater than what is reported by BBC Russian and Mediazona.

In June, British intelligence estimated that the overall Russian casualties could be around 1 million, with up to 250,000 killed. They also suggested that irreversible losses, including those missing or severely injured, are likely between 400,000 and 500,000, as stated by London.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned that Russia experienced approximately 100,000 troop fatalities during the first half of 2025. President Donald Trump later claimed there were over 112,000 Russian deaths since January, contrasted with roughly 8,000 Ukrainian deaths.

The Economist estimated that Russia may have suffered about 31,000 troop losses between May 1 and July 9 alone, with total losses potentially reaching between 900,000 and 1.3 million, which includes 190,000 to 350,000 irreversible casualties.

The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) offered similar estimates, suggesting around 1 million Russian casualties overall, inclusive of 250,000 killed and approximately 400,000 severely wounded.