More than 400,000 deaths have been linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine in leaked records attributed to the Russian state statistics agency. The Guardian counted 412,576 death certificates that connected fatalities to the war since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. If confirmed, the figures would point to military losses unprecedented in Russia’s modern history.
Different counts from the same leak
The records contain more than 11 million death certificates, covering deaths from a wide range of causes. The Guardian counted records that linked a death to the war through an official code or a written reference to military activity. Bloomberg separately identified nearly 392,700 certificates linking deaths to the war through late August 2026. The figures concern fatalities and do not include wounded personnel.
The Guardian could not independently authenticate the entire dataset. Rosstat acknowledged that its systems had been attacked but said it had found no evidence that confidential information had been obtained. Russia has not issued an updated official military death toll since the early months of the invasion.
What independent counts show
Mediazona and the BBC’s Russian service have identified nearly 286,000 Russian military personnel killed by name, using sources including obituaries and statements from regional authorities. That list covers deaths researchers could verify individually. Some deaths never appear in public records, while others may take months to register. Missing personnel and unidentified bodies add to the uncertainty over the full toll.
The toll varies sharply by region
From the start of the invasion to mid-2024, war-related fatalities accounted for roughly one in three deaths among men aged 18 to 49 in Buryatia, Tuva and Zabaykalsky Krai, according to the Guardian’s analysis. In Moscow and St Petersburg, the equivalent share was about one in ten. The comparison covers the same age group and period, showing how unevenly the war’s toll has been felt across Russia.
Newshub Editorial in Europe – 10 November 2026
More than 400,000 deaths have been linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine in leaked records attributed to the Russian state statistics agency. The Guardian counted 412,576 death certificates that connected fatalities to the war since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. If confirmed, the figures would point to military losses unprecedented in Russia’s modern history.
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