Asger Risom
2024 saw record Russian losses as the front line shifted slowly but at great human cost
Last year marked the deadliest period for Russian forces since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with at least 45,287 Russian soldiers confirmed killed, according to an analysis by the BBC as reported by HotNews.ro.
The toll is nearly triple the deaths reported during the first year of the war and significantly exceeds 2023’s casualty figures, which peaked during the brutal battle for Bakhmut. BBC’s Russian Service, working with independent outlet Mediazona and a team of volunteers, used open-source data—including cemetery records, military memorials, and obituaries—to identify 106,745 named Russian casualties. Experts estimate this accounts for only 45–65% of actual deaths.
February 20, 2024: A Single Day of Devastation
The bloodiest day of the year occurred on February 20, when Ukrainian HIMARS rockets struck a Russian training camp in occupied Volnovakha, killing 65 soldiers and bringing that day’s total fatalities to 201. The attack went unacknowledged in Russian defense ministry reports, even as then-Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu briefed President Vladimir Putin on the “successes” of the campaign.
Unlike previous years, where combat deaths fluctuated in waves, 2024 saw a steady month-over-month increase in casualties. The BBC estimated that Russian forces lost an average of 27 lives for every square kilometer of Ukrainian territory gained—totaling 4,168 square kilometers over the year, according to the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War.
Rising Losses, No Lull in Fighting
Russia’s confirmed death toll rose from at least 17,890 in 2022 to 37,633 in 2023, before reaching last year’s record. There were no significant lulls in fighting during 2024. Key offensives in Vuhledar, Bakhmut, and other areas sustained high death rates without yielding decisive victories.
Notably, the tally does not include losses among proxy forces aligned with Moscow in occupied eastern Ukraine, suggesting the actual human cost is even higher. The data underscores the intensifying human toll of a war that shows no signs of abating.