Journalists identify names of more than 155,000 Russian soldiers killed in war against Ukraine

Journalists have identified the names of 155,368 Russian soldiers who have been killed since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. One-third of them were volunteers.

According to Ukrinform, this is stated in a joint report by the Russian service of BBC and Mediazona, based on open-source data.

Among the Russian troops whose names were established, 50,438 were volunteers, 27,578 were contract soldiers, 19,276 were prisoners, 16,164 were mobilized soldiers, and another 2,834 belonged to private military companies. For 39,078 deceased personnel, journalists were unable to determine their category.

Between November 28 and December 12, 2025, in the past two weeks, journalists identified the names of 3,226 newly confirmed Russian military fatalities.

The report notes that most volunteers who sign contracts with the Russian army receive only minimal training, which on average lasts several weeks. In some cases, these soldiers may be sent to the front just five days after signing a contract.

"For Russia, saving time on training and reduced post-injury treatment protocols result in higher losses in units formed from volunteers, as well as a range of tactical errors," the report states.

Bashkortostan and Tatarstan have the highest numbers of confirmed dead, which is partly explained by the strong activity of local volunteers and grassroots groups collecting such data, the report says.

Additionally, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the deaths of 6,205 Russian officers have been confirmed, including 450 lieutenant colonels, 125 colonels, and 12 generals.

Among contract soldiers, the confirmed dead include 15,056 motorized rifle troops, 4,174 airborne troops, 2,240 marines and navy personnel, 1,634 tank crew members, 1,013 special forces, 1,000 artillerymen, and 602 Rosgvardia servicemen. Another 1,859 killed belonged to other Russian army units.

The journalists added that the real number of Russian fatalities in the war may range from 239,000 to 345,260.

As Ukrinform reported, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia's total combat losses from February 24, 2022 to December 12, 2025 amount to approximately 1,186,480 personnel, including 1,400 in the past day.