Volunteers Record Over 90,000 Russian Combat Deaths in War Against Ukraine

Volunteers from the Goryushko project have documented the deaths of over 90,000 Russian servicemen involved in the war against Ukraine, the Ukrainian media outlet Militarny reported on January 1.

The group tracks Russian losses via its Telegram channel, where as of January 1, 2025, they had published records for 90,073 eliminated personnel from Russia’s armed forces.

The project focuses on active members of Russian security structures, including the Ministry of Defense, the National Guard, the police, and the FSB, who were killed in combat on Ukrainian soil or within Russia due to actions by Ukraine’s Armed Forces. The list also includes members of private military companies holding Russian citizenship.

Notably, the count does not include individuals mobilized from the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk, foreign nationals, or personnel of the so-called “People’s Militias” of the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, even if they were Russian citizens.

Furthermore, the 90,000+ figure only accounts for Russian soldiers killed directly in combat during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It excludes deaths in the rear due to injuries, accidents, criminal acts, or suicides.

The volunteers provide a link to a Russian publication source for each confirmed casualty.

Additionally, BBC journalists, working alongside the independent Russian outlet Mediazona, corroborated a significant portion of the findings. By September 2024, they had identified the names of 80,973 Russian soldiers, including mercenaries, who were killed during the invasion.

Earlier, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused over one million casualties, including those killed and wounded, since February 2022.