After Report of "Nearly 10,000 Soldiers Dead" by Russian Media, Article Deleted... Controversy Spreads

Citing Russian Defense Ministry Official... Deletion Measures
Over 10% of Mobilized Troops Casualties... More Severe Than Expected

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Pro-government Russian media reported that nearly 10,000 Russian soldiers were killed in the Ukraine invasion but later deleted the report, sparking controversy both inside and outside Russia. It is believed that the Russian military's operational capability has significantly declined as the casualties are reportedly higher than the estimates by Western intelligence agencies, including the United States.

According to CNN on the 21st (local time), the pro-government Russian media outlet Komsomolskaya Pravda cited a Russian Defense Ministry official saying, "Since the special operation began in Ukraine, 9,861 Russian soldiers have died and 16,153 have been wounded."

The report appeared to contradict earlier claims by the Ukrainian military that 14,700 Russian soldiers had been killed. However, as controversy grew within Russia, CNN reported that the article was soon deleted. The Russian Defense Ministry had not officially released casualty figures since it disclosed on the 2nd that 498 Russian soldiers had died and 1,597 were wounded.

After deleting the article, Komsomolskaya Pravda issued a statement explaining, "The administrator interface was hacked, and false information was included in the article," adding, "Inaccurate information was immediately removed." Nevertheless, the article had already spread widely on social media both inside and outside Russia, intensifying the controversy.

The number of Russian military deaths reported by local Russian media was higher than the estimates previously cited by The New York Times (NYT), which quoted U.S. intelligence officials. The NYT had reported that U.S. intelligence estimated Russian military deaths at about 7,000, with wounded ranging between 14,000 and 21,000.

The report suggests that Russian military casualties have exceeded 10% of the deployed forces, leading to assessments that the Russian military's operational capability has significantly deteriorated. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) stated in a report on the same day, "The Russian military urgently needs to repair damaged weapons and mobilize troops," noting, "Operations using manned drones are decreasing, while the deployment of unmanned drones is increasing due to shortages of aircraft and pilots."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.