Russia's casualties in Ukraine soar, exceeding Soviet Afghan losses
War statistics have been published for the first time by independent Russian outlets Meduza and Mediazona. These publications are banned. The media is restricted from discussing such topics. Official figures are not disclosed in government newspapers.
28 February 2024 10:37
Yet, uncovering the truth is possible, albeit risky. Challenging Russian media have consulted the inheritance case registry.
According to these official and published figures, the male population aged 18-50 is declining alarmingly. The number of inheritance rights cases involving males in this age group, since February 24, 2022, is significantly higher than the averages of recent years.
The Registry of Inheritance Matters, managed by government administration, indicates that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation lost 75,000 personnel from February 2022 to the end of 2023, averaging 120 people per day.
Additional losses were incurred in the initial months of the year. It's estimated the conflict has already resulted in over 80,000 Russian casualties. These figures might be conservative, as not all participants of Putin's "operation" are accounted for in the register.
Putin's war: How long can Russia sustain it?
Those without inheritable assets or family to claim them remain unlisted. Soldiers who disappeared in battle and are still assumed alive are also omitted.
Many soldiers recruited from abroad have perished in the conflict. Serbs, Indians, Nepalese, and nationals from other countries—thousands of foreign nationals were reportedly convinced to join the cause—will not appear in the inheritance register.
According to expert estimates from Meduza and Mediazona, the Kremlin's actions have resulted in approximately 300,000 deaths. This number is expected to rise as military operations continue, with even 25 million potential reservists awaiting their call. General mobilization has not been announced yet.
A labor shortage is evident. The arms industry is struggling to meet frontline demands. Ukraine is destroying Russian equipment at a rate that even fully operational production lines can't compensate for the deficits.
Ukraine is also enduring significant losses. On the second anniversary of the conflict, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned this for the first time since the onset of Russian aggression. He stated that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died, but according to the newly created Ukrainian register "UALoses", the list now includes 42,000 confirmed names of the deceased.
