Russian Data Leak Points to Nearly 400,000 War Deaths

A leak of records from Russia’s federal statistics agency, Rosstat, has provided a rare measure of the human cost of the war in Ukraine. The data, obtained by the Belarusian Cyber Partisans and Ukrainian operation Silent Crow, links more than 392,700 death records filed from February 2022 through late August 2026 to the conflict. The groups’ narrower count of combat deaths and deaths in long-range strikes was 393,881.

A broader estimate of 450,000 also includes people who died from war-related wounds, illness, suicide and road accidents. More than 14,000 records describe soldiers dying from non-military causes, while another 32,000 concern injuries suffered at least a year before death. The data includes civilians killed in attacks and during Ukraine’s 2024 incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. It does not include soldiers missing in action or an estimated 27,000 foreign fighters recruited into Russia’s military.

If accurate, the toll would make the war Russia’s deadliest conflict since World War II and its fourth-leading cause of death over the period. Researcher Janis Kluge called the release the most significant data leak on Russian casualties and said the war had become more deadly than ever.

The figures also indicate that Russia’s ethnic republics have borne a disproportionate share of losses, while Moscow has accounted for a comparatively small share relative to its population. The Kremlin has not released casualty figures since September 2022, when it said nearly 6,000 Russian troops had been killed.

The disclosure comes as Russian and Ukrainian delegations prepare for US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi. Fighting continues: Russia has attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure, while Ukrainian drones struck the KINEF oil refinery near St. Petersburg. The talks are expected to address security guarantees, but previous negotiations have made no significant progress.

A Kremlin Data Leak Reveals the Human Cost of Putin’s War

A leak from Russia’s state statistics agency has exposed the scale of a war whose casualties the Kremlin has not publicly updated since 2022. More than 392,700 death certificates issued from February 2022 to late August 2026 were linked to the conflict; a broader count, including deaths from wounds, illness, suicide and road accidents, reaches 450,000.

The toll would make the war Russia’s deadliest since World War II and its fourth-leading cause of death over the period. The data also points to a stark imbalance: ethnic republics have suffered disproportionately, while Moscow accounts for a comparatively small share of deaths relative to its population. Researcher Maria Vyushkova described the effects of recruitment on some small ethnic groups as the “extermination of entire nations.”

The records include civilians killed in strikes and in Ukraine’s 2024 Kursk incursion, as well as soldiers who died from non-combat causes. They do not count those missing in action or an estimated 27,000 foreign recruits. The leak’s 393,881 combat-death figure is narrower than the 450,000 estimate.

As Moscow and Kyiv prepare for US-brokered talks, attacks continue. Russia has struck Ukrainian power infrastructure, while Ukrainian drones hit a major Russian refinery. Negotiations are set to consider security guarantees, but previous talks produced no significant progress. The casualty data underscores the human stakes of a war Russia’s leadership has kept largely hidden from its public.

Leaked Russian Casualty Data Raises Questions as War Talks Near

A leak from Russia’s statistics agency offers a grim measure of the war’s cost as Moscow and Kyiv prepare for US-brokered negotiations. The records link more than 392,700 death certificates to the conflict between February 2022 and late August 2026. A broader count reaches 450,000 by including deaths from wounds, illness, suicide and road accidents.

The tally would make the war Russia’s deadliest since World War II. It includes civilians and soldiers, but excludes those missing in action and an estimated 27,000 foreign fighters recruited into Russia’s military. The leak also shows that casualties have fallen disproportionately on ethnic republics, while Moscow’s share is comparatively low relative to its population.

The data makes clear the extraordinary price of a war that has continued without a settlement. Russia last publicly disclosed a casualty figure in September 2022. Now, as talks are planned in Abu Dhabi, both sides remain locked in battle and previous negotiations have yielded no significant progress.

Russia says it targeted four Ukrainian electrical substations, while Ukrainian drones struck the KINEF refinery near St. Petersburg. The coming talks are expected to address security guarantees, including Russia’s objections to NATO and Ukraine’s desire to prevent future invasions. The figures sharpen the pressure on negotiators to confront the costs of continuing the conflict.