Science & Tech · Cybersecurity · 18 hrs ago
Hackers claim Russian data shows up to 450,000 war-related deaths
Two hacker groups say they stole Russian statistics agency data in a cyberattack on Rosstat, Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service.
They say the records cover deaths registered from February 2022 to August 2026 and include people fighting for Russia or otherwise linked to the war in Ukraine.
Their estimates range from about 394,000 to 450,000 deaths, depending on whether they count only deaths linked directly to military operations or include other military deaths.
A separate account cited 1,584,910 military casualties, a figure that does not match the death estimates and is not reconciled with them.
The leaked records and estimates have not been independently verified, and Rosstat says its databases were not compromised and no information was leaked.
The figures matter because Russia does not disclose its military death toll, while independent researchers have confirmed at least 285,881 Russian military deaths using open sources, a count they say is incomplete.
Rosstat says it is investigating the attacks and reported service disruptions, but it has not confirmed that data was taken.
Hackers Belarusian Cyberpartisans and Silent Crow say leaked Russian records show between 394,000 and 450,000 war-related deaths since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The groups say they obtained the records from Rosstat’s internal Demography database, which contains death certificates registered between February 2022 and August 2026.
Their estimates differ because they used different methods, and the leaked records and figures have not been independently verified.
Rosstat acknowledged cyberattacks between October 29 and November 1 but denied that its databases were compromised or information leaked.
Independent Russian researchers had identified 285,881 Russian military personnel killed by November 6, while warning their count was incomplete.
- Who
- Belarusian Cyberpartisans and Silent Crow made the claims. Rosstat is the Russian state statistics agency targeted in the attack.
- What
- The groups say leaked records show between 394,000 and 450,000 war-related deaths.
- When
- The records reportedly cover deaths registered from February 2022 to August 2026. The groups made their estimates public on November 7, 2026.
- Where
- Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service, Rosstat.
- Why
- The groups say they accessed Rosstat’s internal database and used different methods to estimate deaths linked to the war.
Belarusian Cyberpartisans and Silent Crow
Rosstat
Data breach
Belarusian Cyberpartisans and Silent Crow
The groups say they accessed Rosstat’s systems and obtained internal records.
Rosstat
Rosstat said its systems were targeted but denied that databases were compromised or information leaked.
Casualty figures
Belarusian Cyberpartisans and Silent Crow
The groups say the records indicate hundreds of thousands of war-related deaths.
Rosstat
Rosstat did not confirm the groups’ figures.
The hacker groups say they gained access to Rosstat’s network and began collecting internal documents and other data.
Rosstat said its systems were targeted in cyberattacks during this period.
Belarusian Cyberpartisans and Silent Crow released estimates of war-related deaths based on the alleged leaked records.
- Belarusian Cyberpartisans estimate
- At least 393,881 deaths
- Silent Crow estimate
- Up to 450,100 deaths
- Database records
- Death certificates registered from February 2022 to August 2026
- Rosstat attack period
- October 29–November 1, 2026
- Independent Russian count
- 285,881 military deaths identified by November 6
3 sources
Official Data Shows 450,000 Russians Killed in War, Death Rate Accelerating – Rosstat Leaks
Hackers claim leaked Russian data reveals up to 450,000 war-related deaths in Ukraine
Russian Federal State Statistics Service says it was hit by massive cyberattack — hackers steal 23TB of data, including Ukraine war casualty figures
What people are saying
The infrastructure worked normally: monitoring systems in a timely manner alerted about suspicious activity, which allowed to quickly start the response.
Compromising databases and leakage of information protected by law has not been identified.
The scale of the incident goes far beyond the compromise of individual servers or user accounts. After all, it is about penetration into the infrastructure of the federal department with access to central and regional systems, internal circuits and data sets of public and official value.