New research reveals the scale of Russian and Ukrainian losses in the Ukraine war

Nearly 102,000 Russian soldiers have been "killed in Ukraine", new research from a media investigation has shown.

The media investigation found that at least 101,883 Russian soldiers have been confirmed dead in Ukraine.

Russian independent outlet Mediazona, in collaboration with the BBC Russian service, conducted the investigation, which found that 4,897 Russian officers have been killed in the invasion.

• What can the Challenger 3 learn from German tank shortcomings in Ukraine?
• The right tanks in the wrong war: Do Leopards deserve their poor reputation?
• UK sends £752m equipment loan to Ukraine as Russia continues air assault

Mediazona has been tracking the identities of Russians killed since the start of the war using verified, publicly available sources, including social media, local news reports, and official announcements from regional authorities.

Of the more than 100,000 Russian soldiers "killed in Ukraine", a significant proportion of the deaths come from volunteers (24%) and prisoners (16%), who have been sent to war by President Putin.

The number of prisoners who have been killed in the conflict reached its highest point in January 2023 during the siege of Bakhmut, which was noted for its use of prisoners fighting for Moscow.

These figures come after Moscow attacked Sumy with cluster munitions on Palm Sunday, resulting in 34 casualties and injuring at least 117 others, Ukraine's state emergency service said.

These strikes happened as Russia started its spring offensive amidst the continued ceasefire discussions led by the White House.

The Kremlin does not publicly disclose casualty information, and Mediazona estimates the total number is likely far higher due to undocumented and "invisible" losses.

British military intelligence revealed earlier this week that Russia has likely sustained more than 920,000 total casualties in the war, including 138,000 in 2025 so far.

The Ukrainian government sometimes publishes statistics on their casualties in the conflict.

Kyiv keeps a public registry of those missing "under special circumstances", which involves both military personnel and civilians who have not been found in conflict zones, according to the research.

The registry has close to 63,000 people written down on it as of February 2025.

However, this estimate is on the lower end compared to other projects that are collating Ukrainian casualties and missing in the war that has been running for the past three years.

One report suggests that nearly 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed, with another 35,000 missing in action in December last year, while a project called UALosses says that the number of Ukrainian casualties is above 130,000, which includes the dead, missing in action, and prisoners of war.