Journalists confirm 16,774 Russians killed in Ukraine, with over 1,600 new losses in the past two weeks

Journalists with Mediazona and BBC News Russian, working with a team of volunteers, have determined that at least 16,774 service members fighting for Russia have been killed during the course of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

1,638 names were added to the list between February 24, when the previous tally of losses was published, and March 10. This represents the greatest number of losses for Russia over a two week period since such information has been collected, writes Mediazona. The most significant increase in deaths is among Wagner Group mercenaries. 

In total, journalists count 1,849 people who were formerly imprisoned and have died in combat operations. They also confirmed the deaths of more than 1,450 mobilized men. Mediazona emphasizes that the true number of deaths among the mobilized is likely much higher — the only way to confirm that someone was mobilized, rather than fighting in another capacity, is from an obituary, where such information is not always reported.

Journalists also confirmed the deaths of 11 Russian officers, ranked lieutenant colonel and higher. Real losses among Russian troops are likely significantly higher than the numbers reported, since the researchers only include cases that they can confirm in public records.

Russia’s Defense Ministry has reported numbers of Russian losses three times — most recently, in September 2022, when they reported 5,937 Russian service members killed. On March 11, Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported 158,000 “liquidated Russian soldiers.”