Leaked data reveals 400,000 Russian deaths in Ukraine since 2022

Leaked confidential data from Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) has revealed that around 400,000 Russians involved in fighting in Ukraine have died since the war began in February 2022.

Bloomberg reported that the data, based on millions of death certificates, includes details such as the deceased’s place of residence, age, and location of death. The information was obtained by the Belarusian opposition group Cyber Partisans in cooperation with the Ukrainian hacking group Silent Crow, before being shared with Bloomberg and other media outlets.

The two groups claimed responsibility for breaching Rosstat’s digital infrastructure, saying they accessed internal systems, databases, and confidential statistical documents. The breach reportedly affected around 25,000 computers and resulted in the extraction of approximately 23 terabytes of data, including statistical records and information on deaths and their causes.

Records for men aged 18 to 49 show significant regional disparities. In remote and Siberian regions such as Buryatia and Tuva, combat-related deaths accounted for about one-third of all deaths in this age group, compared to around 10% in Moscow and St. Petersburg. This highlights the uneven burden of the war, particularly on distant and less economically developed regions.

Rosstat acknowledged that its infrastructure had been targeted by cyberattacks, but denied any evidence of breaches to its main databases or leaks of confidential information. The agency said it had taken technical measures in cooperation with relevant authorities.

The revelations come amid a decline in Russian statistical transparency after authorities imposed restrictions on publishing demographic indicators, including death data. As a result, the leaked records have become a key source of information on human losses and their regional distribution.