February 25, 2025

On Russian Casualties


On Russian Casualties
Readiness check of the 2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division.  Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Wikimedia Commons

A Russian army sergeant who deserted has provided Radio Liberty with what he says is a database from the Main Military Medical Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defense, containing information on 166,000 wounded servicemen during the ongoing Russia's War on Ukraine. Radio Liberty journalists verified that the data covers military personnel treated in Russian military hospitals from January 2022 to mid-June 2024.

Radio Liberty noted the database does not represent the full number of wounded because it excludes troops who received brief treatment and returned to the front. 

The deserter’s data shows that privates most frequently end up in hospitals. Officers made up 17 percent of all wounded in February 2022, but that figure fell to 6 percent by June 2024. This highlights a critical issue the Russian army encountered at the start of the full-scale invasion: poor communication systems forced junior officers to be at the front lines alongside their units, resulting in many fatalities among that group.

The Defense Ministry archive details injuries sustained by nearly 90,000 privates, 40,000 sergeants, 15,000 corporals, 7,000 lieutenants, 3,000 captains, 2,700 praporshchiks, 2,100 majors, 1,000 lieutenant colonels, 381 colonels, more than 30 major generals, 10 lieutenant generals, and one colonel general. The archive also lists nearly 5,000 naval servicemen. 

From January 2022 to June 2024, the database shows 2,250 soldiers were seriously wounded, 58,632 were moderately wounded, and 80,269 were lightly wounded. However, the deserter told Radio Liberty that hospitals may deliberately underestimate the severity of injuries to expedite soldiers’ return to combat, adding that amputations are the only injuries that reliably keep troops off the front lines. The database reportedly contains data on more than 3,200 amputations.

Radio Liberty found the number of wounded surged during periods of major Russian offensives, including the initial push toward Kyiv, the spring 2022 campaign in the Donbas region, and assaults on Avdiivka and Bakhmut. Another jump in casualties occurred in late autumn 2023, which the deserter attributed to Ukraine’s increased use of FPV drones.

The outlet also reported a rise in frostbite, burns, and mental disorders among Russian troops from November 2022 to March 2023 and again from November 2023 to March 2024.

“Shrapnel wound” was the most common injury cited, with nearly 70,000 cases—more than three times the number of gunshot wounds. Several hundred servicemen were hospitalized for drug or alcohol-related poisoning, according to the database. Fifty-eight of the entries included a diagnosis related to attempted suicide.

Radio Liberty additionally noted that the average age of hospitalized servicemen rose from 28 in February 2022 to 36 by mid-June 2024—an increase of one-third over the period covered by the database. In March 2022, those aged 50 and older accounted for 1.3 percent of hospital admissions, but by April 2024, that figure exceeded 11 percent. 

You Might Also Like

Frontline Sex, Moscow Prices
  • February 11, 2025

Frontline Sex, Moscow Prices

Russian sex workers have flocked to the frontlines of Ukraine to satisfy soldiers' growing demand.
Full Immersion in the War
  • February 13, 2025

Full Immersion in the War

Russian schools now include VR exhibits that immerse kids in Russia's War on Ukraine.
Trauma or Personal Growth?
  • December 30, 2024

Trauma or Personal Growth?

Some Russian psychologists and ex-combatants claim war has had a positive effect on people's lives.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955