Journalists identified the names of more than 77,000 Russians who died in the war

Journalists identified the names of 77,143 Russian soldiers who died since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Mediazona and the Russian service of the BBC, together with a team of volunteers, are counting the losses.

Volunteers are the largest category among the dead – 15,741 people, in second place are prisoners – 14,204 people, followed by mobilized people – 9,465 people. By November 8, journalists confirmed the deaths of almost 4,300 officers of the Russian army and other security forces.

Researchers keep lists of the dead, focusing on reports from open sources: mass media, statements of local administrations, posts of relatives on social networks and data from cemeteries. According to journalists’ estimates, the real number of dead on the Russian side may be much higher.

Moscow and Kyiv do not disclose losses in the war in Ukraine, talking only about the losses of the enemy. Parties to military conflicts tend to exaggerate their successes and downplay their failures, the BBC and Mediazone research is one of the most important independent estimates of the number of dead.