Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Three years on, BBC has reported that last year was the deadliest for Russian forces with at least 45,287 people getting killed.
This is almost three times more than in the first year of the invasion and also exceeds the losses of 2023 by a considerable margin, the report noted.
2024 saw a month-on-month increase in the death toll, with Russia losing at least 27 lives for every kilometre of Ukrainian territory captured.
The data collected by BBC Russian Service, in collaboration with independent media outlet Mediazona and a team of volunteers, identified the names of 106,745 Russian soldiers killed during the war. However, the military experts estimate that this number may cover between 45% and 65% of deaths, which may bring the number up to 164,223-237,211.
From one funeral to next - Plight of Russian soldiers
BBC gave accounts of soldiers who lost their lives during February 20, 2024, one of the deadliest day for Russian forces. Aldar Bairov, Igor Babych and Okhunjon Rustamov were among the casualties. Four Ukrainian long-range HIMARS missiles hit a training ground near the city of Volnovakha in occupied Donetsk, leading to their deaths. Sixty-five servicemen were killed and dozens were wounded.
According to the data, a total of 201 Russian soldiers died on that day. However, there was no mention of them. A few hours after the attack on the training ground, Sergei Shoigu, the-then Russian Defence Minister broke the news of military success from the frontline to Vladimir Putin, conveniently burying the news of the deaths of the soldiers.
Sources from BBC reached out to a relative of Okhunjon Rustamov who said three of her close relatives have already died during the war. "In December 2022, my husband died. On 10 February 2024, my godfather. And on 20 February my half-brother. From one funeral to the next."
Each square kilometre captured cost the lives of 27 Russian soldiers
An analysis by the BBC found that the Russian losses in the first two years of war followed a wave-like pattern, which means periods of heavy fighting and casualties alternating with periods of calm.
Most casualties were reported in 2023, between January and March, as Russian forces were attempting to capture the cities of Vuhledar and Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast.
Russia lost at least 17,890 soldiers in the first year of the war. The number rose to 37,633 in 2023.
There was no period in 2024 which showed a significant fall in deaths. In August, Ukrainian forces stormed over the border into Kursk, killing Russian conscripts. August 6 to 13 saw the deaths of at least 1,226 Russian soldiers.
According to leading US military analyst Michael Kofman, the months of September and November in 2024 saw the heaviest overall losses.
"Tactics emphasised repeated attacks with dispersed assault groups, using small infantry fire teams, which increased overall casualties relative to terrain gained," he said.
Russian forces seized the logistical hub of Vuhledar in Donetsk on 1 October 2024. Russian forces also captured 2,356 square kilometres of Ukraine between September to November 2024. However, this did not lead to the collapse of Ukrainian forces. But the cost of this advance was at least 11,678 Russian military deaths, based on the names of the soldiers which appeared in obituaries during this period.
According to ISW, Russia captured 4,168 square kilometres of land in 2024, and for each square kilometre captured, 27 Russian soldiers were killed. This data does not include the number of soldiers wounded.
How Russia replenishes its depleted forces
To attract recruitment, Russia increased the one-time payments to soldiers in three Russian regions. In Ufa, a city in Russia, the one-time payment for signing a Russian army contract is 34 times the region's average salary of 67,575 rubles.
Volunteers also signed up to avoid criminal prosecution. However, volunteers have become the fastest-growing category of casualties.
Thousands of volunteers who signed contracts in 2023- 2024 were sent to the front lines with minimal training of just 10 to 14 days. This reduced their chances of survival.
The calculation of deaths from open sources is likely to be incomplete as a significant number of bodies in the battlefield may not have been retrieved.