Russian casualties in Ukraine war surpass 50,000

BBC, in collaboration with the independent Russian service Mediazona and volunteers, collects data on the fatalities among soldiers from the start of the war in Ukraine.

"During the second 12 months at the front line – when Moscow employed the so-called meat grinder strategy – we discovered that the number of victims was almost 25 percent higher than in the first year," reports the portal. According to the findings, in the subsequent 12 months of combat, more than 27,300 Russian soldiers died.

"The term meat grinder describes how Moscow mercilessly sends waves of soldiers to obliterate Ukrainian forces and reveal their positions to Russian artillery," BBC explains.

The media compiles counts based on official reports, newspapers, and social media data. "New graves at cemeteries helped identify the names of many soldiers," it reads.

The total number of fatalities exceeds 50,000 and is eight times higher than the only official data provided by Moscow in September 2022. Since then, the Kremlin has not released any statistics.

The actual number of fatalities in Russia is probably much higher. Moreover, the analysis by the British broadcaster does not cover soldiers killed in the Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk.

BBC estimates that at least two out of five killed fighters in Russia were individuals with no prior connection to the country's army before the invasion. The broadcaster also believes that many Russian casualties are mercenaries from the Wagner group, largely recruited from prisoners.

Moscow permitted Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to initiate recruiting in prisons in June 2022. Prisoners who became fighters then served as part of a private army on behalf of the Russian government.

While working for Wagner, prisoners were usually contracted for six months. Survivors were promised their freedom. However, since September last year, under the Ministry of Defense’s mandate, rank-and-file prisoners must fight until death or the end of the war, whichever comes first.

The portal indicates that Ukraine is hesitant to discuss the extent of its battlefield losses. In February, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed, but estimates based on American intelligence suggest the numbers are higher.