Russia Has Lost More Than 350,000 Soldiers, New Estimate Finds

Key Points:

• A new estimate by exiled Russian media outlets Meduza and Mediazona suggests that approximately 352,000 Russian soldiers had died in the war against Ukraine by the end of 2025, highlighting the heavy toll of the conflict for Russia.
• This figure, based on a database of confirmed deaths and analysis of excess male mortality in Russian probate records, implies that total military deaths on both sides may approach half a million.
• The estimate excludes deaths in 2026 and casualties among foreign fighters and Russian-backed militias in occupied Ukrainian territories.
• The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated in January that up to 325,000 Russian and 140,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died by the end of 2025, though official Russian figures remain suppressed and Ukrainian estimates vary.
• Ukraine aims to increase Russian battlefield casualties to 50,000 per month to address personnel shortages, but has yet to achieve this target according to its own data.