282 Thousand Russian Service Members' Deaths Confirmed in Ukraine

BBC, jointly with "Mediazona" and a team of volunteers working with open data, have identified the names of 281,753 Russian service members who died during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Among the units that suffered the greatest losses, three units traditionally considered the elite of the Russian army were immediately noted.

Paratroopers and marines together account for only 10% of confirmed losses among those whose place of service is known. However, three formations immediately entered the top ten military units that suffered the greatest losses during the invasion of Ukraine over four and a half years of war. These are the 810th and 155th Marine Brigades, as well as the 76th Air Assault Division.

Russian command often uses airborne formations and marines to solve the most acute problems on the front lines, experts note.

"The General Staff has consistently used airborne forces and marine formations as assault forces and rapid reaction troops," note American military analysts Michael Kofman and Greg Wissler.

As there are many difficult sectors on the front, there is not enough time to withdraw these units to the rear for full recovery. As a result, paratroopers and marines are only briefly withdrawn from the front line for personnel replenishment and then immediately redeployed to a new priority direction, experts add.

Journalists analyzed which specific Russian units suffered the greatest losses during the ongoing war in Ukraine. Of the 281,753 killed whose names could be confirmed by this week, the unit in which he served was known for 149,701 individuals.

Data analysis showed that, overall, the largest proportion of fatalities belongs to servicemen of motorized rifle formations. However, three units from other branches of the armed forces also appeared on the list of leaders in losses.

According to calculations, the 810th Marine Brigade lost at least 2,000 people killed and ranks sixth on the list of units with the greatest losses. The 155th Marine Brigade lost 1,829 people killed (eighth place), and the 76th Air Assault Division — 1,809 confirmed fatalities (ninth place).

Airborne Forces (VDV) and Marine units are traditionally considered the elite of the Russian army: they are trained for complex airborne operations and rapid deployment.

Moreover, the 76th VDV Division stood out even among these formations. It was recognized as the best VDV formation based on the results of 2008, 2013, and 2014. In 2019, the 810th Marine Brigade received the Regimental Cup – an award that the Ministry of Defense presented to the best formations, units, and ships.

Marines of the 155th Brigade participated in the liberation of the tanker "Moscow University" from Somali pirates in 2010, and from 2016 to 2021 performed special tasks in Syria.

During the war in Ukraine, servicemen from all three formations were accused of war crimes. A New York Times investigation linked soldiers of the 234th Regiment of the 76th VDV Division to the killings of civilians in Bucha.

Ukraine accuses several servicemen of the 155th Brigade of executing at least nine prisoners of war. The 810th Brigade features in a Human Rights Watch investigation into possible war crimes during the assault on Mariupol. Russia denies its army's involvement in war crimes.

One of the fallen marines is Svyatoslav Hlushen from Murmansk. Before the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he had built a rather successful career in civilian life: he managed a branch of a real estate agency in St. Petersburg. His past included 12 years of service on a nuclear submarine.

"After service, it was difficult for him to adapt to a new profession, but he worked diligently on himself," his colleagues wrote.

However, in June 2025, the armed forces reminded him of their existence again: Hlushen received a summons. How exactly the man ended up back in the army could not be ascertained. Relatives only wrote that less than a month passed between the call to the military commissariat and deployment to the front. Thus, even less time was allotted for Svyatoslav's training in assault operations.

He was assigned to the 155th Marine Brigade. Despite lacking combat experience and infantry skills, he went to the front already with the rank of junior commander.

"After three days of being there, he was recognized for his success – he became the commander of an assault group," states one of the obituaries.

What are Russia's Real Loss Figures in Ukraine?

The real losses on the Russian side exceed the number of confirmed fatalities whose names can be verified from open sources.

According to military experts' estimates, our analysis of military memorials, open state registers, and obituaries allows us to ascertain between 45% and 55% of the actual number of fatalities.

Reports of servicemen's deaths do not always become public. The bodies of many servicemen who died in recent months remain on the battlefield for six months or longer.

Thus, the actual number of fatalities on the Russian side could range from 512,278 to 626,118 people.

This estimate increases if one considers the losses of formations from the self-proclaimed DNR and LNR for 2022, as well as North Korean units that participated in battles in the Kursk region.

Based on obituaries and reports of missing persons, journalists estimate the number of fatalities in the DNR and LNR formations by the end of 2022 to be 21,000–23,500 people.

The Korean service of the BBC, having studied satellite images and official photographs of a new military memorial in the DPRK, established the names of 2,304 North Korean soldiers who died in 2024–2025 while participating in the war on Russia's side.

Taking these data into account, the total losses of forces fighting on the Russian side could amount to approximately 535,582–651,922 fatalities.

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