As the fourth anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches, the Russian-speaking service of the British BBC and the independent Russian outlet Mediazona have published updated figures regarding Russian military casualties in Ukraine. According to their research, at least 200,186 identifiable Russian soldiers have died in the conflict, based on the identification of names from funeral notices in newspapers, social media, cemeteries, or memorials. This figure represents only those whose deaths have been formally documented and reported by the two organizations.

The report highlights a significant portion of the fallen soldiers, with 57 percent being individuals who had no prior military ties at the onset of the war. These included volunteers, conscripts, and prisoners who were later mobilized or signed contracts. Additionally, the losses among professional military personnel are also striking, with more than 7,000 officers reported killed. The airborne forces, known as VDV, appear to have suffered considerably, with at least 4,811 reported deaths, emphasizing the considerable cost of the ongoing military operations for Russia.

Although the reported numbers from the BBC and Mediazona are considered incomplete, the outlets estimate that they cover approximately 45 to 65 percent of the total fatalities among Russian troops. This disparity underscores the challenges in accurately assessing military losses in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which has implications for both military morale and public perception in Russia as the war continues to unfold.