Two groups of hackers have published stolen records from the Russian federal statistics agency, Rosstat, indicating that nearly 400,000 Russian soldiers have died in the war in Ukraine since February 2022.
The breach has fueled a new debate over the true human cost of the conflict as Russian authorities struggle to contain the fallout from the digital intrusion.
Stolen Rosstat Death Records
The data, which emerged on November 7, 2026, was obtained by the Belarusian group Cyber Partisans and the pro-Ukrainian collective Silent Crow. The hackers claim the records, spanning from the start of the full-scale invasion through August 2026, contain 392,700 death certificates linked to the conflict.
The Cyber Partisans, a collective opposing President Aleksandr Lukashenko, and Silent Crow, a pro-Ukrainian formation, asserted that the war has become the fourth leading cause of death in Russia, following heart disease, COVID-19, and cerebrovascular conditions.
The agency stated that its central and regional portals were rendered inaccessible and its homepage was altered with a message in Belarusian. In response to the breach, the agency delayed the deadline for business data submissions to November 13, resulting in the postponement of major economic publications.
Discrepancies in Casualty Reporting
The scale of these figures stands in stark contrast to previous official accounts. Rosstat ceased releasing annual statistics on causes of death in 2024.
Independent trackers, such as the Russian outlet MediaZona and the BBC, had previously verified 282,993 names of deceased Russian soldiers as of October 23, 2026, though they have consistently noted that their list remains incomplete. The BBC estimates the real death toll is significantly higher, while NATO and Ukrainian sources suggest figures in the hundreds of thousands.
Russian authorities have labeled both Cyber Partisans and Silent Crow as extremist organizations. The Kremlin has not issued a comment regarding the specific figures published by the hackers. In July 2026, the Russian Supreme Court officially designated both collectives as extremist groups, highlighting the significance Moscow places on the digital front of the war.
