Named Russian military deaths and cross-checking records
Use the Mediazona and BBC Russian named count to distinguish verification of individual deaths from estimating the overall toll.
Updated Nov 9, 2026
How names were added to the verified list
On 2026-02-24, the named count maintained by Mediazona and BBC Russian reached 200,000. The researchers said they added newly verified deaths after cross-checking names they had previously collected against Russian civil registration records.
What named counts and estimates can answer
A named list shows which records supported verification of individual deaths. Cases can remain absent if records are unavailable or verification is delayed. Mediazona separately publishes a statistical estimate using probate records, distinct from its named list.
How to read a gap between counts
The date marks the researchers’ announcement of the named count milestone. The leaked-data count in the video uses different cutoff dates and categories, so subtracting one total from the other cannot establish the number missing. Adding them could count the same person twice.
Sources
- Mediazona | Named Russian military deaths and verification methodsAccessed Nov 9, 2026
- Mediazona | Methods and subsequent update to the Russian losses countAccessed Nov 9, 2026