What is Mediazona?: An independent Russian investigative outlet founded in 2014 that maintains the most rigorous open-source database of confirmed Russian military deaths in Ukraine, operated jointly with BBC Russian.
Who founded Mediazona?: Mediazona was co-founded in 2014 by Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina and Nadya Tolokonnikova. It originally covered Russia's prison system before expanding into war casualty documentation.
How does Mediazona count Russian military deaths?: Mediazona individually verifies each death using obituaries, social media posts, court records and regional press. BBC Russian co-maintains the database and the Conflict Intelligence Team has independently validated the methodology.
Why is Mediazona's casualty count lower than Ukraine's official figure?: Mediazona counts only individually confirmed deaths from open sources. The Ukrainian General Staff estimates total casualties including wounded and missing, producing a much higher cumulative figure.Source: Ukrainian General Staff
Is Mediazona banned in Russia?: Yes. The site is blocked inside Russia and accessible only via VPNs and mirrors. Several journalists have been formally listed as foreign agents by Russian authorities.
How does Mediazona count Russian military deaths in Ukraine?: Mediazona verifies each death individually using obituaries published by families, regional court records, social media announcements, graveyard visit reports, and conscription documents. It maintains the named list jointly with BBC Russian. A separate statistical estimate using Probate Registry excess male mortality, produced with Meduza, puts the end-2025 total at 352,000.Source: Mediazona methodology (entity background)
What is Mediazona's estimate of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine?: As of mid-April 2026, Mediazona's named-attribution database confirmed approximately 209,000 Russian military deaths. A May 2026 statistical study co-published with Meduza using Probate Registry excess male mortality estimated 352,000 deaths by end-2025, including 90,000 court-declared deaths of missing servicemembers.Source: Mediazona / Meduza May 2026
Is Mediazona reliable or Russian propaganda?: Mediazona is an independent Russian exile outlet founded by Pussy Riot members, operating from Riga and blocked inside Russia. Its staff are designated foreign agents by the Russian government. Western defence ministries and academic researchers treat its verified casualty database as the benchmark open-source figure for Russian military deaths.Source: Entity background
Who runs Mediazona and where is it based?: Mediazona was co-founded in 2014 by Maria Alyokhina and Nadya Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot. It operates in exile from Riga, Latvia. Its website is blocked in Russia and several journalists have been listed as foreign agents by Russian authorities.Source: Entity background
What does Mediazona report on besides casualty figures?: Mediazona originally focused on Russia's prison system and criminal justice. Since 2022 it expanded into systematic military death documentation and economic analysis of the war's impact on Russia, including Q1 2026 budget deficit reporting showing Russia's full-year target blown in one quarter.Source: Entity background + recent events
How many Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine according to Mediazona?: Mediazona's named-attribution database reached 225,019 confirmed Russian military fatalities by 5 June 2026, running at ~330 confirmed deaths per day. A parallel Probate Registry statistical estimate by Mediazona and Meduza puts the total at 352,000 by end-2025.Source: Mediazona / Meduza
What is Mediazona and how reliable is its Russia casualty count?: Mediazona is a Russian exile investigative outlet that individually verifies each death via obituaries, court records, and social media before adding it to its count, maintained jointly with BBC Russian. Western defence ministries and international press treat it as the most methodologically rigorous open-source floor.Source: Mediazona
Is the Russian military death toll in Ukraine accelerating in 2026?: Yes. Mediazona's verification rate reached approximately 330 confirmed deaths per day by June 2026, up from 207 per day in late March 2026.Source: Mediazona

Background

Mediazona is a Russian independent investigative media organisation founded in 2014, co-founded by Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina and Nadya Tolokonnikova. Originally focused on Russia's prison system and criminal justice, it expanded after February 2022 into systematic documentation of Russian military deaths in Ukraine. The outlet operates in exile from Riga; its website is blocked inside Russia, and several journalists have been formally listed as foreign agents by Russian authorities.

Mediazona's casualty methodology is built on open-source verification: obituaries published by families and local media, graveyard visit reports, social media announcements, regional court records, and conscription documents. Each death is individually confirmed before it enters the count. The outlet maintains its named-attribution database jointly with BBC Russian. By 5 June 2026, Mediazona had verified 225,019 confirmed Russian military fatalities, running at approximately 330 confirmed deaths per day — above the 207-a-day rate of late March. In May 2026, Mediazona and Meduza published a parallel statistical estimate using Probate Registry excess male mortality methodology placing total Russian military deaths at 352,000 by end-2025, including approximately 90,000 court-declared deaths of missing servicemembers — a separate methodology running alongside, not replacing, the named list. Mediazona's casualty count is treated as the benchmark open-source verified floor by Western defence ministries, international press, and academic researchers. Russia's government does not acknowledge the database.