[Opinion on Personnel Losses of Russia and Ukraine]

The BBC published an article stating that, as of May 1, 2025, authorities and media in the Republic of Bashkortostan reported the highest number of military deaths in the region at 4,852. In terms of absolute losses, Bashkortostan remains the region with the largest number of casualties, with 4,836 confirmed deaths.

The article points out that among the confirmed deaths in Bashkortostan, only 19% of personnel were residents of large cities with populations exceeding 100,000. The majority of combatants came from rural areas. Of the deceased in this republic, 38% were volunteers who had no prior combat experience when they joined the fight. This is nearly double the Russian average (22%).

In 2024, the average monthly wage in this region was 67,575 rubles. Meanwhile, the one-time subsidy for signing contracts at the Ufa Military Recruitment Office was 34 times that amount.

Reports indicate that the actual losses are much greater than those determined through publicly available channels. Data derived from analyses of Russian cemeteries, military memorials, and obituaries may only cover 45% to 65% of the actual death toll. This is because a large number of soldiers killed in recent months might still be left on the battlefield. Transporting their bodies would pose risks to the health of surviving soldiers, as they could be attacked by Ukrainian drones.

According to these assessments, the actual death toll on the Russian side may range between 164,223 and 237,211. If the forces of the two "People's Republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk, which participated in the anti-Ukrainian operations, are included in the statistics, the final loss figure for the Russian side will significantly increase. Since December 22, 2022, the Donetsk authorities have stopped publishing data on their troop losses, while the Luhansk authorities have never disclosed any information about their losses.

The article concludes that by studying the obituaries published and messages about long-term missing persons from Donetsk and Luhansk, it can be deduced that by the end of September this year, there may have been 21,000 to 23,500 deaths. Therefore, according to the collected data, the total death toll on the Russian side may range between 185,000 and 260,700 military personnel. The BBC and Mediazona identified the names of 106,745 Russian military personnel who died during the full-scale conflict between Russia and Ukraine using public data.

As of May 2, based on official Russian data, Ukraine's casualties amounted to 1,180,195. According to official Ukrainian data, Russia's casualties were 955,470.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1831095103525888/

Disclaimer: The article represents the views of the author alone.