Analysis reveals a significant rise in the number of obituaries of soldiers published in Russia in the past five months
Maira Butt
THE INDEPENDENT
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Russian losses in the war in Ukraine have been growing at a faster rate than at any point so far since the invasion began in February 2022, new analysis suggests.
Analysis by the BBC found that 40 per cent more obituaries of soldiers were published in Russia this year compared with 2024.
The broadcaster, along with independent outlet Mediazona, compiled a list of named individuals using official reports, newspapers and social media as well as new memorials and graves. In total, they were able to confirm the names of around 160,000 people who have been killed.
Experts told the broadcaster that the figure is likely to be far higher, with the BBC's toll only likely to represent between 45 and 65 per cent of the overall total. This would mean that Moscow has suffered between 243,000 and 352,000 casualties since the war began.
A Russian soldier fires a Malka self-propelled gun towards Ukrainian positions (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service)
The BBC's data shows that the number of obituaries being published in Russia this year saw a considerable spike in August - the same month that Vladimir Putin met with Donald Trump in Alaska for the first US-Russia summit since the war began. It peaked at 12,035 in August.
Between July 2024 and July 2025, the number of obituaries being published did not exceed 7,155.
The BBC's overall death toll appears to reflect assessments by international governments. In October, a Nato official said that more than 250,000 Russian troops had been killed in Ukraine, as part of a total of up to 1.1 million battlefield casualties.
Ukraine has seen more than 140,000 of its soldiers killed in the war, according to the BBC.
Vladimir Putin attends a meeting in the Kremlin (Sputnik)
Meanwhile, Washington's hopes of brokering a peace agreement in the near future were dashed on Tuesday after Russia accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack at one of Putin's residences - a claim emphatically denied by Kyiv.
Zelensky said the claim was a "complete fabrication" aimed at derailing the peace process, after Moscow signalled that it would harden its negotiating position in response.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Tuesday that Russia had not provided any plausible evidence of its accusations.
"Russia has a long record of false claims it's their signature tactic," Sybiha said.
Asked by reporters whether Russia had physical evidence of the drone attack, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said air defences shot the drones down but that the question of wreckage was for the defence ministry.
Russia has said it has concluded its autumn 2025 military draft, calling up 135,000 conscripts for service, whilst President Vladimir Putin signed a decree creating a new target of 261,000 conscripts for 2026, the Defence Ministry and TASS reported on December 29.
The Ukraine war has triggered a silent exodus from Russia, with roughly 800,000–900,000 citizens leaving the country and up to 700,000 believed to have fled or tried to flee conscription since 2022, while OSINT estimates suggest as many as 70,000 soldiers could desert from the army in 2025 alone.
This mix of draft dodgers and battlefield deserters does not have a precise official tally, but taken together, it points to a level of resistance to mobilisation large enough to force the Kremlin into tougher digital draft laws and border controls for military‑age men.
Putin signed the 2026 conscription decree for citizens aged 18 to 30 not in reserve, to serve from January 1 to December 31, 2026, marking the first time annual conscription targets have been published in a single decree following implementation of year-round military draft legislation.
The autumn 2025 call-up followed Presidential Decree No 690 issued on September 29, 2025, mobilising 135,000 conscripts for the Russian Armed Forces and other troops and military formations.
Conscripts had the right to choose military service in various branches and armed services, taking into account health conditions and the results of psychological selection.
Most conscripts were assigned to training units and military formations to learn to operate modern military hardware and acquire military specialities.
Putin previously signed two separate decrees before spring and autumn drafts with conscript numbers specified individually. The current decree represents the first unified annual conscription target under new year-round draft legislation.
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