Translated material
Journalists have identified the names of 50,471 people killed in the war in Ukraine
50,471 names of Russian military personnel who died in Ukraine by April 12 were identified by BBC and Mediazona journalists together with a team of volunteers. These are only those whose deaths became known from open sources. The real number of losses could be much higher, investigators say.
Since the last report two weeks ago, 1,190 names have been added to the list of dead. Teams of analysts who count military equipment losses report that Russia has been losing large numbers of tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles and artillery in the past few weeks.
By April 12, the death of more than 3,300 officers of the Russian army and other security forces was confirmed throughout the war. 390 of them are in the rank of lieutenant colonel and above.
The figures given are only those losses reported by officials, the media, relatives of the victims, as well as data from cemeteries. Recently, investigators have begun to use another method of estimating excess male mortality, based on probate registry data. This method of calculation produces a figure of approximately 85 thousand Russians killed since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.
- Ukraine and Russia rarely publish official data on their losses.
- At a press conference on February 25, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky for the first time revealed the losses of the Ukrainian army in the war with Russia. According to him, 31 thousand Ukrainian soldiers died. It is unknown whether this was only about the army or about all armed units controlled by the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in December that the Ukrainian army had lost 383 thousand people killed and wounded. Moscow itself does not disclose its losses in the war. According to Zelensky, the Russian army lost 500 thousand people killed and wounded. Parties to military conflicts tend to downplay their losses and exaggerate those of the enemy.