Hackers claim Rosstat hack reveals more than 390,000 Russian war deaths
Cyberpartisans BY and Silent Crow claim they breached Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service and used stolen records to estimate that more than 390,000 Russians had died in connection with the war against Ukraine by the end of August 2026. Their figures differ because they use different criteria, while the accuracy of the estimates remains unknown.
Hoofdpunten
- Cyberpartisans BY estimates at least 393,881 deaths linked to combat actions or their consequences.
- Silent Crow estimates 450,100 deaths, including non-combat military deaths and some deaths recorded in Ukraine or occupied territories.
- The hackers say they stole approximately 23 terabytes of Rosstat data.
- The disclosed data included internal documents, demographic and economic statistics, and information about Russian wartime losses.
- A joint BBC Russian service and Mediazone database contained about 286,000 identified Russian military deaths as of November 8.
- Meduza and Mediazone estimated about 350,000 Russian military deaths by the end of 2025.
- Russia has not published official combat-loss statistics since September 2022.
Waarom dit belangrijk is
The claimed data offers another indication of the scale of Russian deaths connected to the war, despite the absence of official Russian casualty statistics. It could also make military losses more visible by exposing internal Rosstat records, but the figures require caution because their methodologies differ and the underlying records have documented limitations.
Wat er is gebeurd
Cyberpartisans BY and Silent Crow said they carried out a large-scale breach of Rosstat and obtained approximately 23 terabytes of data. According to the hackers, the files included internal documents, demographic and economic statistics, and information about Russian wartime losses. Cyberpartisans BY counted 393,881 people recorded as having died from combat actions or their consequences. Silent Crow produced a higher estimate of 450,100 by also including non-combat military deaths, deaths marked as terrorism-related, and registered Russians who died in Ukraine or occupied territories without an established cause. The hackers said Silent Crow accessed about 25,000 computers connected to Rosstat’s central office and regional units, although the accuracy of their estimates has not been established.
Hoe Oekraïense bronnen het beschrijven
Ukrainian reporting emphasizes both the scale of the reported Russian deaths and the claimed Rosstat breach as information bearing on the human cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine. It also compares the two hacker estimates with name-based casualty lists and independent research while highlighting gaps, inaccuracies and delays in Russian records.
Waar de berichtgeving verschilt
Cyberpartisans BY reported at least 393,881 deaths tied directly to combat actions or their consequences. Silent Crow estimated 450,100 by applying broader criteria, including non-combat military deaths, terrorism-related deaths, and deaths of registered Russians in Ukraine or occupied territories where no cause was established.
Achtergrond
Russia has withheld official battle-loss statistics since September 2022, and Rosstat stopped publishing annual cause-of-death data in 2024. Name-based lists maintained by Mediazona and the Russian BBC service contained about 286,000 identified Russian military deaths by the publication date, although they are incomplete, particularly for recent months and years. Meduza and Mediazone separately estimated about 350,000 Russian military deaths by the end of 2025 using inheritance-case records. Medical certificates do not always state the actual cause of death, and Rosstat lacks current information on personnel missing in action, leading to delays in recognizing battlefield deaths.