Journalists have identified 281,753 Russian military personnel killed since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, 15,721 more than were known two weeks ago.
This is stated in a joint report by the BBC Russian service, Mediazona, and a team of volunteers, compiled using data from open sources, Ukrinform reports.
The report notes that the units that have suffered the heaviest losses include three formations traditionally regarded as elite units of the Russian army.
Russian paratroopers and marines account for only 10% of the identified losses among those whose place of service is known to the journalists. At the same time, three formations made the top 10 list of military units that have suffered the heaviest losses during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine: the 810th and 155th Naval Infantry Brigades and the 76th Air Assault Division.
According to the report, the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade has lost at least 2,000 personnel killed and ranks sixth on the list of units with the heaviest losses. The 155th Naval Infantry Brigade has lost 1,829 personnel killed, ranking eighth, while the 76th Air Assault Division has 1,809 identified fatalities, ranking ninth.
According to the journalists’ analysis, the largest share of deaths overall has been among servicemen of Russian motorized rifle formations.
The journalists’ data also show that Russian paratroopers lost at least 481 personnel killed during the first month of the war, in the assault on Hostomel Airport and the outskirts of Kyiv, while the 155th and 40th Naval Infantry Brigades suffered heavy losses during the offensive on Vuhledar in the winter of 2023.
Read also: Ukrainian forces strike USD 100M worth Russian radar system
The report says that among the identified fatalities were 98,464 volunteers, 73,814 contract soldiers, 27,550 prisoners, 20,814 mobilized personnel, and 2,900 members of private military companies. The category of another 58,211 killed could not be established.
As of October 16, 2026, the highest number of Russian military fatalities had been reported by authorities and media in the Republic of Bashkortostan, at 12,435.
The actual number of Russian military deaths may range from 512,278 to 626,118, according to the report.
As reported by Ukrinform, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia’s total combat personnel losses from February 24, 2022, through October 16, 2026, reached approximately 1,561,020.