BBC Verify Live: Pictures show deadly Russian strikes in Ukraine, and further flooding in Pakistan
How many people have been killed in the Ukraine war?published at 15:28 British Summer Time
Shayan Sardarizadeh
BBC Verify senior journalist
During today’s talks between Trump, Zelensky and European leaders, you’re likely to hear appeals from all sides to prevent any more casualties in Ukraine.
Getting an accurate, running tally of the war dead, however, is extremely difficult.
On the plane to the Alaska summit, President Trump told reporters that in the last week, “7,011 people were lost – almost all soldiers”.
“We’re going to stop, really, five, six, seven thousands – thousands of people a week being killed.”Trump may have been given this figure in a security briefing but we can’t find evidence for it.
Ukraine and Russia don’t give regular updates on casualties and both have been accused of inflating the other side’s losses.
However, several studies have attempted to estimate the number of deaths on both sides.
In June, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, external in Washington estimated that 250,000 Russian soldiers had been killed in the conflict.
It also estimated that between 60,000 to 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed.
The BBC’s Russian service – along with Mediazona – has analysed data from Russian cemeteries, war memorials, and obituaries.
It estimated that, as of August 2025, more than 122,000 Russian soldiers had been killed.
Taking into account the bodies of soldiers that remain on the battlefield, BBC Russian estimated the total number of Russian deaths could be in the range of 189,051 to 273,073.
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