Confidential data leaked from Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service, known as Rosstat, reportedly shows that nearly 400,000 Russians who took part in the fighting in Ukraine have died since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The figures highlight the human cost of the war as Moscow continues to withhold official data on its military losses.
Reports indicate that the leaked records are based on millions of death certificates and include information about the deceased individuals’ places of residence, ages, and locations of death.
The data was obtained by the Belarusian opposition group Cyber Partisans, working with the Ukrainian hacking group Silent Crow, before being shared with a limited number of media organizations.
Major Cyberattack on Russia’s Statistics Agency
The two groups claimed responsibility for breaching Rosstat’s digital infrastructure, saying they had gained access to internal systems, databases, and confidential statistical documents.
According to information about the operation, the breach affected approximately 25,000 computers belonging to the agency, with nearly 23 terabytes of data extracted. The material reportedly included statistical records, administrative documents, and information on deaths and their causes.
War Deaths Vary Significantly Across Russian Regions
Records concerning men aged between 18 and 49 show considerable geographical differences in deaths linked to the fighting.
In remote and Siberian regions such as Buryatia and Tuva, these deaths accounted for approximately one-third of total deaths, compared with around 10% in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The disparity reflects the differing impact of the war across Russian regions, particularly remote and economically less prosperous areas that have served as significant sources of military recruitment.
The data is also important because it allows researchers to examine the geographical and demographic distribution of human losses, amid difficulties in obtaining independent and accurate figures on Russian military deaths.
Rosstat Acknowledges Cyberattacks but Denies Data Breach
Rosstat acknowledged that its digital infrastructure had been targeted by cyberattacks but denied finding evidence that its main databases had been breached or confidential information leaked.
The agency said it had taken technical measures to address the attacks in cooperation with the relevant authorities.
The two hacking groups had also published messages on the agency’s website referring to the breach, saying the move was intended to expose the scale of the operation and put pressure on Russian government institutions.
The disclosure comes amid declining transparency in Russia’s statistical reporting, following government restrictions on the publication of several demographic indicators, including death figures and their causes.
As a result, the leaked records have become a potentially significant source of information about the human cost of the war.
The figures highlight the demographic and social consequences of the conflict across different Russian regions, as the war in Ukraine continues.
