More than 400,000 Russian citizens have been killed since the start of Russia's full-scale military operation in Ukraine, according to recently leaked documents. Two hacker groups claim to have obtained the information by examining documents from Rosstat, Russia's official statistics agency.

The leaked documents reportedly show that 412,576 death certificates have a direct link to the war. The certificates list official 'codes' or directly mention military operations as the cause of death.

Claims by Hacker Groups

The information was gathered by the hacker groups 'Cyber Partisans,' linked to the Belarusian opposition movement, and Ukraine's 'Silent Crow.' Their collected documents include over 11 million death certificates, containing data on the deceased's age, place of residence, and location of death.

The two hacker groups claim they determined the death toll by analyzing these Rosstat documents. However, there has been no immediate official response from the Russian government or Rosstat regarding the authenticity of this information.

Accounting for War Casualties

There is ongoing international debate regarding the true number of Russian soldiers and civilians killed in the Ukraine war. Various organizations and media outlets have published differing figures. Analysts view this leaked document as significant evidence of the war's human cost.

The Russian government is known not to regularly publish its own casualty figures. In contrast, Ukrainian official sources regularly update the number of Russian soldiers killed, though these figures are often not independently verifiable internationally.

International Reaction and Next Steps

The leak has raised new questions internationally about the human toll of the war. However, independent verification of this information has not yet been possible. There has been no formal initiative announced by international organizations to ascertain the veracity of the hacker groups' claims.

Analysts note that as the war continues, the casualty figures on both sides are increasing, creating new concerns about the future of the region.