Daily Death Toll of Russian Soldiers on the Front Reaches 120

While the official count of fatalities in the ongoing war remains undisclosed, conjecture about the death toll has been rampant since the onset of the conflict. Recent reports from independent Russian media outlets such as Medusa and Mediazona have estimated that the number of Russian soldiers killed in the war against Ukraine is around 75,000. Medusa reported on Saturday that Russia pays a daily price of 120 deaths for its attack on the neighboring country.

The investigative journalists responsible for these reports have stated that their findings are based on a comprehensive evaluation of various sources of data. These include a database related to inheritance matters, the death register, statistical information, and information gleaned from the surviving relatives of the deceased. They emphasize that their figure is a statistical estimate and not an exact count. The actual number of deaths could potentially range from 66,000 to 88,000, they suggested.

Western estimates suggest higher casualty figures

The journalists also took issue with the casualty figures suggested by Western sources, which are significantly higher. For instance, Ukraine estimates Russian losses, including both killed and injured, to be more than 400,000. This value is roughly twice as high as the estimates by Medusa and Mediazona, which also project that there are around 130,000 injured Russian soldiers.

Furthermore, the analysis posits that around 20,000 Russian criminals, who were released from prison, were killed in the armed conflict in Ukraine. In contrast, the death toll among the approximately 300,000 reservists enlisted as part of a controversial mobilization in 2022 is estimated to be around 16,000.

Availability of more sources in Ukraine

In their detailed report, the analysts delve into the specifics of their methodology for compiling these numbers and creating the corresponding graphics. They also reference the anonymous project UALosses, which has documented around 47,000 names of Ukrainian soldiers who have been killed. Almost all these recorded deaths were verified during a random check, the report states. Overall, the analysts suggest that there is greater access to sources in Ukraine, which is why their data set is more reliable than that for Russia.

Regarding the casualty ratio between the two sides, the analysts suggest that recent statements from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky might be exaggerated. They assert that there may not be five Russian soldiers killed for every fallen Ukrainian defender, but perhaps at most two. They further opined that to win this war of attrition, Ukraine must focus not only on inflicting losses on the Russian army but also on minimizing its own casualties.