Hackers claim leaked Russian data reveals up to 450,000 war-related deaths in Ukraine

Hacker groups Belarusian Cyberpartisans and Silent Crow have claimed responsibility for leaking Russian government data which suggests up to 450,000 war-related deaths in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. The leaked death records, obtained from Russia's Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), indicate a range of 394,000 to 450,000 deaths, with Belarusian Cyberpartisans estimating at least 393,881 deaths specifically caused by military operations.

Silent Crow, on the other hand, used a broader methodology to estimate up to 450,100 deaths, including non-combat deaths of military personnel and certain deaths without a specified cause. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the authenticity of the leaked records or the casualty estimates. Rosstat acknowledged that its systems were targeted in cyberattacks but denied any compromise or leak of data.

Russia does not disclose its military casualties in Ukraine, making independent assessments challenging. As of Nov. 6, independent Russian outlet Mediazona, working with BBC Russian and volunteers, had identified 285,881 Russian military personnel killed in Ukraine through open-source research.

Brief written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.