The other casualty count. Mediazona data shows nearly 1,000 Russian soldiers have been charged with murder since the start of Ukraine invasion

Nearly one thousand Russian servicemen have been charged with murder since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to data compiled by Mediazona. Figures from military courts show a steady rise in violent crimes committed by soldiers both at the front and in the rear. The surge has accelerated in 2025, with hundreds of new cases already reaching trial.

Since 2023, Russian military courts have received 989 criminal cases for murder (Article 105 of the Russian Criminal Code) and for the intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm resulting in death (part 4 of Article 111), according to calculations by Mediazona.

In total, since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, the number of such cases has approached one thousand: 38 in 2022, 266 in 2023 and 346 in 2024. So far in 2025, courts have already registered 377 of these cases.

Garrison military courts handle cases solely against active-duty servicemen. District and fleet military courts may also hear murder cases involving civilians or, for example, captured foreign soldiers, when the charges are connected to “terrorism” or certain other offences. We have excluded all such cases from our count.

The number of violent crimes has risen steadily throughout the three and a half years since the full-scale invasion began. The number of convictions increased sharply for the first time in the first six months of 2023, when courts handed down a record number of sentences against military personnel for murder, grievous bodily harm and acts of sexual violence.