Russia lost 281,550 soldiers in Ukraine in the first eight months of 2025, according to a document that Ukrainian intelligence presented as leaked Russian data, BTA reports.
The list, published on October 6, reveals an extremely high level of casualties with minimal gains on the battlefield. The figures show that 86,744 Russian servicemen have been killed, 33,966 are missing, 158,529 are wounded and 2,311 are captured.
The media website “Mediazona“, which, together with the BBC, has identified Russian soldiers who have died by name, expressed skepticism about some of the figures, but admitted that they are “generally possible“. More than 134,000 deaths have been confirmed by name since the start of the war, with the real number likely to be significantly higher.
The independent intelligence group Frontelligence Insight told Politico that the leaked document was consistent with its own estimates and was likely credible. Other war watchdog groups also confirm this.
The report highlights the Kremlin’s extremely inefficient way of waging the war, as well as the enormous impact of Ukrainian drone attacks. Due to the lack of organized evacuation of the wounded, Russia’s ratio of killed to wounded is only 1:1.3, while in most wars it is 1:3, meaning that many wounded soldiers die without medical attention.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, total Russian losses have exceeded 1 million people - killed, wounded and missing. The Ukrainian General Staff reports that Russia is losing an average of about 1,000 soldiers per day.
By comparison, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in February that 46,000 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and 390,000 wounded since the start of the war. “Russian losses are three times higher than ours,” Zelensky said in August.
Despite the huge losses, Russia is continuing its offensive on several fronts, including at Pokrovsk and Dobropolye, said General Oleksandr Syrsky, commander of the Ukrainian army. According to him, the front line has grown by 200 kilometers, which is making it difficult for Ukrainian defense.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin is trying to compensate for the losses with an aggressive recruitment campaign. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russia recruits an average of 31,600 people per month, but loses about 35,000.
Moscow is also expanding its recruitment of fighters in Africa and the Middle East, promising high bonuses and “non-combat roles” that often turn out to be deceptive. According to Frontelligence Insight, more than twice as many contracts with foreigners were signed in the first half of 2025 than in all of 2024.
Analysts warn that if this trend continues, the Kremlin will be faced with a choice - to resort to a new mobilization or face an acute shortage of manpower while losses at the front continue to grow.