Leaked Rosstat files show more than 450,000 Russian deaths in the war in Ukraine
Hacked Rosstat databases — taken in a 29 October–1 November breach — list combat and non‑combat Russian fatalities, with totals exceeding 450,000.
Leaked files from Rosstat, the Russian federal statistics agency, indicate that more than 450,000 Russian citizens have died in the war in Ukraine, according to an analysis of data taken in a recent cyberattack. The disclosure also places the conflict among the leading causes of death inside Russia.
The breach occurred between 29 October and 1 November, when two hacker groups — the Belarusian Cyber Partisans and Silent Crow — accessed and removed extensive datasets covering Russia’s economy, demographic statistics and military losses. Janis Kluge of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs described the leak as the most significant disclosure so far about Russian fatalities in the conflict.
What the leaked numbers show
The tally compiled by Silent Crow includes active military personnel, civilians killed in airstrikes and those who died during a Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region in 2024. It excludes people classified as missing and does not account for around 27,000 foreign fighters who have been recruited into Russian forces, which means the true death toll may be higher.
According to the leaked database, the conflict has cost an average of 6.2 Russian lives per square kilometre of territory gained. The files also record 14,160 deaths from non-combat causes (disease, accidents, suicides) and more than 32,000 people who died of wounds sustained at least one year earlier.
A sample verification exercise checked 50 names from the leaked dataset against Russian-language monitoring databases and an international broadcaster’s Russian service; while a complete audit was not possible, the sampled records matched other independent estimates. A separate analysis by the Belarusian Cyber Partisans produced a lower figure — 393,881 dead — using a methodology limited to direct combat deaths and their long-term consequences.
Some defence analysts note that the leaked numbers are comparable with a September report from the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence that estimated casualties on the Russian side in excess of half a million. Investigators say further analysis of the full dataset will be needed to reconcile methodological differences and to establish a final accounting.
Photo: press material from the event
