Russian casualties in Ukraine. Mediazona count, updated

Since our last update on November 17, about 1,200 names have been added to the casualty list. However, this figure likely falls short of the actual toll; the sheer volume of incoming data is overwhelming our processing capabilities.

The reason for the surge in fatalities is intensified combat: since early November, we’ve been seeing more and more obituaries for soldiers who died near Avdiivka. More recently, an escalation of fatalities has been recorded in the Kherson region, predominantly on the Dnipro islands and in the vicinity Krynky village on the Russian-controlled left bank of the river.

Over this past fortnight, 10 names of officers of Lieutenant Colonel rank and above were added to our list in the last two weeks. Most significantly, the death of Major General Vladimir Zavadsky, who served as the deputy commander of the 14th Army Corps, has been confirmed. According to his obituaries, he was killed by a Russian landmine.

Thanks to volunteers who continue examining Russian cemeteries, we also learned about the death of Colonel Andrei Bozhok, a Marine from Russia’s Far East, and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Yurkevsky, a commander of a Motorised Rifle unit, who lost his life in September during an evacuation attempt on the Dnipro islands.

An obituary has recently surfaced, a year posthumously, for Alexei Antonov, the commander of a special forces unit from Chelyabinsk.

High-ranking officer deaths identified over two weeks

What we know about the casualties

The majority of those killed in action come from the Sverdlovsk region, Bashkiria, Chelyabinsk region, and Buryatia. A notably high number of casualty reports are emerging from Krasnodar krai (also known as Kuban) and Moscow region. This increase can be largely attributed to the efforts of volunteers who are documenting and photographing military burials in local cemeteries, thus bringing a greater number of losses to public attention.

The distribution of casualties across Russian regions is presented in absolute figures, these numbers have not been adjusted in relation to regional population sizes or the concentration of military units.

Readers can view either overall losses or those specific to different branches of the armed forces. Additionally, there is information regarding the native regions of the mobilised soldiers.

In the majority of cases, the military branch of a deceased serviceman can be ascertained either directly from the death notification or indirectly through the distinctive features of the uniform and sleeve insignia.

Although mobilised soldiers, volunteers, and inmates do not belong to traditional military branches, for analytical purposes, they have been included in our chart. This allows for a comparative analysis of their losses alongside those of regular military units. Below is the breakdown of fatalities segmented by various branches of the army.

Since the summer, volunteer units bore the brunt of casualties, a stark contrast to the war’s initial phase. During the winter and early spring, the heaviest losses were sustained by the Airborne Forces, followed by the Motorised Rifle Troops.

By the end of 2022 and entering the new year, there was a marked increase in fatalities among prisoners conscripted into the Wagner PMC. These conscripts were formed into “assault groups” for offensives against Ukrainian positions near Bakhmut.

By March 2023, these prisoners represented the largest single category of losses in the conflict. Following the assault on Bakhmut, there have been no reported instances of mass deployment of these prisoner units.

As of 17 November, the confirmed death toll among Russian army officers and other security forces has exceeded 2,800, with 335 of these officers being of Lieutenant Colonel rank or higher.

Officers killed in Ukraine

As of today, official confirmation has been received regarding the deaths of two deputy army commanders: Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky of the 41st Army, and Major General Vladimir Frolov of the 8th Army.

In late May 2022, retired Major General Kanamat Botashev, 63, a former fighter pilot, was killed, presumably having volunteered for combat. Additionally, Captain 1st Rank Andrei Paliy, the deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet, was also reported among the casualties. On June 5, 2022, the death of Major General Roman Kutuzov was reported.

In June 2023, the death of Major General Sergei Goryachev was announced. He served as the chief of staff for the 35th Combined Arms Army, responsible for confronting the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia region.

By July 2023, the death of the first Lieutenant General, Oleg Tsokov, deputy commander of the Southern Military District, was confirmed.

Over 27,600 reports specify the dates of military personnel deaths. While the daily loss figures derived from this data may not accurately reflect the total casualties, they provide an indication of the intensity of the fighting on specific days.

It is important to note that the most recent data is likely to be incomplete and subject to significant revisions in the future.

In 30,500 of the casualty reports, the ages of the deceased are mentioned. In the initial six months of the conflict, characterized by the deployment of regular military forces without the inclusion of volunteers, mobilised troops, or prisoners, the most significant number of fatalities occurred in the 21–23 age group.

The age profile diverges notably for volunteers and mobilised soldiers. Those who volunteer for combat service are predominantly in the age bracket of 30–35 years or older. The mobilised personnel are generally over the age of 25.