Mediazona confirms identities of over 61,800 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine.

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Through open-source research, Mediazona, a Russian independent media outlet, together with BBC Russia, confirmed the names of 61,831 Russian soldiers who had been killed since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since Mediazona's last update in early July, the names of 2,106 Russian soldiers have been added to the list of casualties. The journalists note that the actual figures are likely significantly higher, as their verified information comes from public sources such as obituaries, posts by relatives, regional media reports, and statements from local authorities.

Since the start of Russia's renewed offensive into Khariv Oblast, the country's Armed Forces have experienced some of its heaviest losses since the start of the full-scale invasion. Due to the "growth of losses in the last several months," the journalists note that "several thousand obituaries" are not yet accounted for due to processing delays - with the total casualties expected to rise significantly in subsequent reports. On July 5, Russian media outlets Meduza and Mediazona published an estimated report indicating that approximately 120,000 Russian troops have been killed since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Kyiv Independent is unable to independently confirm the figure. Since Russia began its all-out war against Ukraine, over 3,800 officers have been killed in action. The analysts note that at least 12,339 Russian inmates have been also killed on Ukraine's eastern front - or 20 per cent of the total confirmed casualties.

According to Mediazona's estimates, a majority of those killed in action come from Rostov, Sverdlovsk, Bashkiria, and Chelyabinsk oblasts, as well as the Buryatia republic. As of August 12, 2024, the Ukrainian military estimates Russian combat losses at 598,000 troops.

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