Reporters identify 7,822 Russian soldiers killed since war in Ukraine began

At least 7,822 Russian soldiers were killed in Ukraine since the war began. Their names were verified by Mediazona, BBC News Russian and a team of volunteers.

This information is as of 21 October. At least 41 men on the list of deceased soldiers were drafted over the past month. Some of them were not killed in hostilities, but died at training centres, training grounds or military units.

Mediazona points out that there has been a sharp increase in volunteers killed in the war. “The number of confirmed losses among volunteers is now comparable to the losses of the airborne forces and motorised infantry (over 800 volunteers, over 1,200 airborne and motorised infantry troops),” the media outlet writes.

According to Mediazona, considering the lag in processing and publishing the data by reporters, it can be said that over the past 6 to 8 weeks, volunteers have borne the brunt of the losses. This includes the BARS special combat army reserve, Akhmat, as well as soldiers of regional battalions that signed a short-term contract with the Russian military after the war started.

“The messages that we’re seeing show that the time between the signing of the contract and their death is no longer than two months,” the authors of the report said.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on 21 September that 5,937 Russian soldiers had been killed since the start of the war in Ukraine. BBC News Russian pointed out that the more names of deceased Russian soldiers had been verified at the time.