Deaths of Russian men have risen amid President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, census knowledge shows.
There has been a sharp increase in excess mortality among young men before the start of the war, according to information recently published through Russia’s Federal Statistical Service (Rosstat), independent Russian media outlet Meduza reported on Friday.
Putin’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022, caused military losses in Moscow and kyiv. It is also estimated that at least one million people fled Russia to avoid participating in the war.
Newsweek reached out to Russia’s Foreign Ministry for comment.
Meduza reported Friday that the mortality rate for young men in Russia rose sharply in 2023, nearly doubling through 2022. At least 64,000 Russians have died in the war so far, according to information released June 27.
Men aged 35 to 39 made up the largest group, with an excess of 17,000 deaths recorded. The death rate among men between the ages of 25 and 29 in Russia is twice as high as expected, the publication notes.
Estimates of the war’s casualties vary, with Ukraine’s numbers exceeding those of its Western allies. Moscow rarely has data on the number of war victims. In September 2022, former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that 5,937 infantrymen had died since the start of the war.
However, in a brief comment on losses in the Ukraine war, Putin said at a June 5 press conference that the ratio of “sunk losses” between Russia and Ukraine was one to five in favor of Moscow. He did not specify the exact figures.
In April, the BBC and independent Russian media outlet Mediazona published a joint investigation confirming the deaths of at least 50,000 Russians in Ukraine. The publications used official reports, newspaper articles, open-source information and social media posts to determine the deaths.
The investigation found that at least 27,300 Russians died in the second year of the war.
The actual death toll in Russia is likely much higher, according to the BBC-Mediazona report.
Kiev, like Moscow, rarely provides up-to-date data on war losses. An analysis by the United States Defense Intelligence Agency, released in April 2023, just over a year after the start of the war, indicated that Ukraine had suffered between 124,500 and 131,000 casualties, adding 15,500 to 17,500 deaths.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in February that 31,000 Ukrainian infantrymen had been killed in the war.
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Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek journalist founded in Kuala Lumpur. It focuses on the war between Russia and Ukraine. Isabel joined Newsweek in 2021 and in the past worked with media outlets such as Daily Express, The Times, Harper’s BAZAAR, and Grazia. She holds a master’s degree in news journalism from City University of London and a bachelor’s degree in journalism. in Russian language at Queen Mary, University of London. Languages: English, Russian
You can contact Isabel by emailing i. vanbrugen@newsweek. com or by following her on X @isabelvanbrugen
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