The Russian army has suffered the loss of over 6,000 officers since the beginning of its full invasion of Ukraine, causing critical damage to its ability to wage organised war. This includes officers from junior lieutenants to generals, according to data from the independent “Killed In Ukraine” project, which monitors public obituaries.
Among the confirmed deaths, 1,520 were senior lieutenants, 1,237 were lieutenants, and 940 were captains. These ranks play key roles in battlefield leadership and command, making their loss a severe blow to the Russian military’s structure and coordination.
The high mortality among officers is the result of relentless assault tactics ordered by the Kremlin and Ukraine’s successful targeting of command posts along the front line. Analysts say this not only weakens Russian frontline performance but also causes widespread dysfunction within the army’s command structure.
Broader casualty figures compiled by the Horyushko project suggest that since 24 February 2022, the Russian military has lost approximately 111,000 soldiers. This estimate excludes mobilised troops from the occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Russian mercenaries, and soldiers who died away from the front or from untreated injuries.
A milestone obituary was noted for Alexei Burkov, a Russian soldier from the village of Sosnovskoye, who died in December 2024 and was identified as the 100,000th casualty by the Militarny website. These numbers paint a picture of staggering human loss, with Russia’s officer corps especially hard hit.
March 2025 saw a record spike in Russian families reporting missing servicemen. According to Ukraine’s “I Want to Find” project, more than 320 new reports were filed each day that month, reaching a total of 10,027 submissions. This surge highlights growing panic within Russian society as families search for loved ones lost or unaccounted for in a war waged by the Kremlin.
Even former United States President Donald Trump, known for his past sympathetic remarks toward the Russian dictator, recently posted online, urging “Vladimir, Stop! 5,000 soldiers a week are dying.” While his figures are not supported by direct evidence and were criticised for lacking accuracy, they attracted international attention. Trump’s comments, however, were viewed as an attempt to push for a quick peace deal with little regard for Ukraine’s sovereignty and justice.
Both Ukrainian and Russian governments maintain secrecy over the true extent of battlefield losses, making independent tracking efforts essential. Ukraine’s Armed Forces publish daily updates on enemy losses but combine killed and wounded numbers. Total combined casualties on both sides are now estimated at close to one million, according to military analysts.
