--- title: "Rosstat Records Deaths of 11,335 Foreigners Recruited by Russia for War Against Ukraine" description: "Rosstat has recorded the deaths of 11,335 foreigners recruited by Russia for the war against Ukraine. The data covers the period from 2022 to August 2026 and includes citizens of nearly 100 states ranging from Central Asia to Africa." date: 2026-11-12T00:11:20.665Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/rosstat-deaths-11335-foreigners-ukraine-war tags: [rosstat, foreign-soldiers, ukraine-war, central-asia, forced-mobilization, north-korea, africa] author: "Marina Slivenko" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Rosstat Records Deaths of 11,335 Foreigners Recruited by Russia for War Against Ukraine ## Key Points - Rosstat registered 11,335 deaths of foreigners recruited for the war against Ukraine from February 2022 to August 2026 - Among the dead are natives of Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Ukraine, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, African, and South American countries - The number of dead foreigners increased more than eightfold: from 630 in 2022 to over 5,500 by 2025 - Russia recruited citizens of nearly 100 states; statistics do not include about 2,300 dead North Korean soldiers - Real losses may be higher than recorded due to data gaps, unidentified bodies, and post-demobilization deaths The Russian statistical agency Rosstat has registered 11,335 deaths of foreigners recruited by Russian authorities to participate in the armed conflict against Ukraine through coercion, deception, or financial incentives. This was reported by Bloomberg on November 11, 2026, citing a dataset containing over 11 million death records indicating citizenship, place of birth, and circumstances of death. Access to the database was obtained by the Belarusian hacker group Cyber Partisans and the Ukrainian group Silent Crow, who passed the materials to journalists. The accounting period spans from February 24, 2022, to the end of August 2026. ### Geography of Losses: From Central Asia to Africa A significant portion of the foreign contingent consists of natives of former Soviet republics. Among the countries whose citizens most frequently die on the front lines, Kazakhstan and Central Asian states stand out. Another approximately 3,700 deceased held Ukrainian citizenship or were born in Ukraine after it gained independence. Address details indicate that the majority of them lived in territories of eastern and southern Ukraine under Russian occupation. Following the start of the invasion, Russian security forces conducted mass detentions and raids in the self-proclaimed "DPR" and "LPR," subsequently delivering local men to draft offices. Forced mobilization also affected migrants from Central Asia who received Russian passports—they were drafted into the army directly in Russian cities. ### Expansion of Recruitment Geography: Nearly 100 States In total, Russia has recruited citizens of nearly 100 states to participate in the war. The recruitment dynamics occurred in several stages, and its geography expanded as needed to replenish growing personnel losses. In 2023–2024, noticeable mortality was observed among citizens of Nepal, and in 2024–2025 among Sri Lanka and China. Since late 2025, fatalities from Colombia, Kenya, and Nigeria have begun to appear more frequently in the statistics. About 340 deceased originated from African states; among them, natives of Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana predominate. Russia actively recruited residents of Africa by offering low-income individuals high-paying jobs allegedly in civilian positions. In recent months, the governments of Kenya and Ghana have demanded that Moscow stop recruiting their citizens for military service through deception, while South Africa and Botswana have officially urged compatriots not to accept offers from Russian recruiters. ### Growth Pace: An Eightfold Surge in Three Years The number of deceased foreigners grew at roughly the same pace as the overall losses of the Russian army. While Rosstat recorded 630 such deaths in 2022, the figure exceeded 5,500 by 2025—an increase of more than eight times. The connection of deaths to military actions was established through wording in documents: "special military operation," "shelling," "drones," as well as through special codes. In the calculations, foreigners were considered to be natives of other countries, while those born before the collapse of the USSR outside present-day Russia were included in the category only if they possessed foreign citizenship. ### What Is Not Included in the Statistics The figures provided do not reflect the full scale of foreign casualties. The statistics contain gaps, especially for 2026, and processing documents after a serviceman's death sometimes takes several months. Some bodies remain on the battlefield and cannot be identified, and some military personnel are listed as missing in action. Cases of death from front-line wounds after the completion of service are also not accounted for if the relevant information is absent from the death certificate. It is also worth noting that Rosstat's statistics do not include servicemen from North Korea sent by Kim Jong Un to support the Russian army. According to a BBC investigation based on satellite imagery and pictures of a memorial complex in North Korea, approximately 2,300 North Korean soldiers died in the Kursk region. Thus, the real losses of foreigners recruited for the war may be significantly higher than the recorded 11,335. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Росстат зарегистрировал гибель 11 335 иностранцев, привлеченных Россией к войне против Украины](https://www.dw.com/ru/rosstat-zaregistriroval-gibel-11-335-inostrancev-na-vojne-v-ukraine/a-79924088) - Primary source. All key figures (11,335, 630 in 2022, 5,500+ in 2025, 3,700 of Ukrainian origin, 340 Africans, ~2,300 North Koreans per BBC) are taken from the DW/Bloomberg text. The period, methodology, recruitment geography, and limitations of the statistics match the basis. ## FAQ ### Where did the data on 11,335 dead foreigners come from? The data was obtained from a Rosstat dataset containing over 11 million death records. Access to the database was obtained by Belarusian hackers Cyber Partisans and the Ukrainian group Silent Crow, after which the materials were handed over to Bloomberg journalists. ### What period does the statistics cover? Records are accounted for the period from February 24, 2022, to the end of August 2026. ### Why might actual losses be higher than 11,335? There are gaps in the statistics for 2026, some bodies are unidentified, some military personnel are listed as missing, deaths from wounds after demobilization are not counted, and data on dead North Korean soldiers (~2,300 according to the BBC) is missing. ### Citizens of which countries were recruited for the war? Russia recruited citizens of nearly 100 states. The most prominent groups are natives of Kazakhstan and Central Asia, citizens of Ukraine, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, as well as residents of Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and Colombia.