Over the past 10 months, 40% more obituaries of Russian soldiers were published compared with the previous year, coinciding with intensified fighting and renewed US-led peace efforts under President Donald Trump.

Axar.az reports that Russian military losses in Ukraine have been rising faster than at any point since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, according to new BBC News Russian analysis.

The BBC, working with Mediazona and volunteers, has confirmed the names of nearly 160,000 Russian fighters killed. Experts believe this represents only 45–65% of the true total, placing Russia’s likely death toll between 243,000 and 352,000. Peaks in obituary numbers aligned closely with major diplomatic moments in 2025, including Trump–Putin talks and a proposed US peace plan.

The analysis shows a growing share of casualties among so-called “volunteers”—civilians who signed military contracts after the invasion began.

In 2025, one in three Russian deaths were volunteers, up from 15% a year earlier. Many recruits were motivated by financial incentives, legal pressure, or hopes that a peace deal would soon end the war.

NATO estimates total Russian dead and wounded at around 1.1 million, with fatalities above 250,000, figures broadly in line with the BBC’s findings.

Ukraine has also suffered severe losses. While Kyiv’s official figures remain lower, BBC estimates suggest up to 140,000 Ukrainian soldiers may have been killed so far.