---
title: "Fourteen years for grave photos: how Russia hides the real casualties of the war in Ukraine"
description: "A Yaroslavl court sentenced a man to 14 years for photographing soldier graves, while the FSB patrols cemeteries. Independent databases count hundreds of thousands dead, while Moscow discloses almost no losses."
date: 2026-11-12T08:40:25.334Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/kremlin-hides-war-casualties-14-years-for-grave-photos
tags: [russia, ukraine-war, war-losses, fsb, court-verdict, censorship]
author: "Andrey Kosynko"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Fourteen years for grave photos: how Russia hides the real casualties of the war in Ukraine

![Two armed soldiers in camouflage patrolling an area with a ruined apartment building in Ukraine in the background](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/12/kreml-skryvaet-poteri-voyny-14-let-za-foto-mogil-soldat/kreml-skryvaet-poteri-voyny-14-let-za-foto-mogil-soldat-1.webp)

## Key Points

- A man in Yaroslavl was sentenced to 14 years in prison for photographing the headstones of fallen Russian soldiers.
- Since summer, dozens have been arrested across Russia for taking pictures of military graves; the FSB patrols cemeteries, and charges are filed as high treason.
- Independent databases (Meduza/BBC) count about 283,000 dead, British and Dutch intelligence over 500,000, Zelenskyy 700,000, while Shoigu's official 2022 figure was 5,937.
- Rosstat has restricted access to excess mortality data, and the Kremlin has declared casualty information a "state secret."

In September, a court in Yaroslavl sentenced a middle-aged man to fourteen years in prison. The basis was that he had photographed the headstones of Russian soldiers who died in the war in Ukraine. According to reports, this is one of the harshest sentences in a series of cases being heard behind closed doors across the country in recent months. The case has become part of a broader practice in which the state suppresses any independent attempts to document and count casualties at the front.

### Cemeteries under the control of special services

In recent months, Russian authorities have publicly warned that taking photographs of military graves is punishable by up to life imprisonment. Journalists report that Federal Security Service (FSB) agents are patrolling cemeteries. Since this summer, dozens of people have been arrested across Russia for taking pictures of gravestones, according to correspondents. In closed proceedings, the official charge is usually framed as high treason—specifically, "cooperation with Ukrainian special services," although the details of these cases are not publicly disclosed.

### Numbers that don't add up

Because Moscow remains stubbornly silent about the actual casualties on the battlefield, independent journalists and activists are counting the dead using photos of graves and open sources. Mediazona, in collaboration with the Russian service of the BBC, maintains the Russia 200 database, which contains the names of nearly 283,000 fallen soldiers and details about the circumstances of their deaths. Relying on social media posts and local media reports, the editorial team acknowledges that it lacks the resources to document every death. Other organizations cite significantly higher figures: according to the UK Foreign Office and Dutch intelligence, Russian losses exceed half a million soldiers, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in July that 700,000 Russians had died. For comparison, in September 2022, six months after the start of the full-scale invasion, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu cited a figure of 5,937 deaths, after which virtually no official reports on losses have been released.

### From Afghanistan to the "Special Operation"

Even the most modest estimates of Russia's losses significantly exceed the USSR's losses in Afghanistan, where the war lasted for almost ten years beginning in 1979. Media reports indicate that even then, the Kremlin tried to hide the true cost of the conflict: relatives were forced to hold funerals at night, it was forbidden to indicate the place of death on headstones, and the later permitted wording "heroically died while performing an international duty" never replaced the ban on the words "died in Afghanistan." Similar logic, according to experts, is being replicated now: as it became clear that the conflict would be prolonged, Moscow consistently shut down every new channel used by those documenting losses. In April 2024, a Kremlin spokesperson reminded that information on losses is a "state secret" and its disclosure is the "exclusive prerogative of the Ministry of Defense," and later that same year, Rosstat closed access to excess mortality data that had been available since the 1990s.

### What researchers say

"More and more graves is likely something that really worries the authorities, as it reminds them of the failure of Putin's war. Too many people have died," stated Jan Behrends of the Leibniz Center for Contemporary History in Germany. Jeff Jones, a professor of history at the University of North Carolina, draws a parallel with the Afghan war, recalling how relatives were forced to hide the fact of death at the front. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on November 1, the Russian army lost 2,500 soldiers in a single day—the largest daily figure since the start of the full-scale invasion, which only intensifies the contrast between independent counts and Moscow's official silence.

## Accounts differ

### Number of Russian military dead in the war in Ukraine

- **Mediazona and BBC Russian Service (Russia 200 database):** The database contains the names of nearly 283,000 dead soldiers, though the editorial team notes it lacks resources to document every death. ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/kladovishcha-pid-naglyadom-fsb-shcho-prihovue-1794472042.html))
- **UK Foreign Office and Dutch intelligence:** Russia has lost over half a million soldiers. ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/kladovishcha-pid-naglyadom-fsb-shcho-prihovue-1794472042.html))
- **Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (July statement):** 700,000 Russians have died in the war in Ukraine. ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/kladovishcha-pid-naglyadom-fsb-shcho-prihovue-1794472042.html))
- **Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (September 2022 statement):** The number of dead Russian soldiers is 5,937. ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/kladovishcha-pid-naglyadom-fsb-shcho-prihovue-1794472042.html))

*Where they agree:* All parties acknowledge that Russian military personnel have died during the conflict; the discrepancy concerns the scale of the losses.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Кладбища под наблюдением ФСБ: что скрывает Кремль о погибших на войне в Украине](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/kladovishcha-pid-naglyadom-fsb-shcho-prihovue-1794472042.html) - The only source provided; contains the verdict, arrest data, FSB patrols, and discrepancies in loss figures. Casualty figures are disputed by both sides, therefore the status is downgraded to 'with reservations'.

## FAQ

### Why was the man in Yaroslavl sentenced?

He was sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony for photographing the headstones of Russian soldiers who died in the war in Ukraine.

### How many dead are estimated in Russia according to different sources?

Meduza/BBC database (Russia 200) — nearly 283,000; UK Foreign Office and Dutch intelligence — over half a million; Zelenskyy in July — 700,000; Shoigu's official 2022 figure — 5,937.

### What is the state doing about independent casualty counts?

Authorities warn of punishments up to life imprisonment, the FSB patrols cemeteries, dozens have been arrested since summer, and casualty data has been classified as a "state secret."