--- title: "Russian news site claims it was ‘hacked’ after revealing 9,800 troops died in Ukraine" description: "The Russian military appears to have suffered a staggering number of casualties during its invasion of Ukraine." date: "2022-03-22" modified: "2022-03-22" authors: - name: "Max Hauptman" job_title: "Breaking News Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/max-hauptman/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/russian-news-site-says-9800-troops-died-in-ukraine/" categories: - "Around the World" - "News" - "Russia" - "Tactics" - "Tech & Tactics" - "Ukraine" - "Warfare" --- # Russian news site claims it was ‘hacked’ after revealing 9,800 troops died in Ukraine ![Russia invasion Ukraine]() *Ukrainian servicemen get ready to repel an attack in Ukraine's Lugansk region on February 24, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, killing dozens and forcing hundreds to flee for their lives in the pro-Western neighbor.(Photo by Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images)* After almost a month, the Russian invasion of Ukraine seems to be at somewhat of a standstill. Foreign troops are [joining up](), with [mixed results](), arms are [being supplied]() to Ukraine, and the Russian military remains seemingly [stalled]() outside many of Ukraine’s largest cities. There have been [well-documented]() [logistical]() [setbacks](), [Ukrainian drone strikes](), [ambushes](), and some [strategic failures]() on the Russian side, but what is happening on the battlefields of Ukraine remains hard to discern. On Sunday, Igor Konashenkov, a [representative]() of the country’s ministry of defense, provided an update on the action. “According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, during the special operation in Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces lost 9,861 people killed, 16,153 people were injured,” reads the quote, [published by Komsomolskaya Pravda](), one of Russia’s daily newspapers. > [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today**]()**. Get the latest in military news, entertainment, and gear in your inbox daily.** A subsequent update of Pravda’s story removed any reference to [casualties](), and replaced it with the claim that Russian troops were “completing the defeat of the nationalist Donbas battalion.” ![]() *Left: A screenshot from [Komsomolskaya Pravda]() showing purported Russian military casualty figures. Right: An updated version of the same story, showing that the casualty figures have been removed.* In other words this apparent refutation of the news from Ukraine may reveal that Russia has already sustained nearly 25,000 casualties in just a month of fighting. Sorting through the vast amounts of information available about this war is challenging. When nearly everyone has a camera, it’s difficult to tell what is real and what is part of the [information war]() being waged between Russia and Ukraine. But nearly 25,000 casualties in a month is a staggering figure. To put that in perspective, less than [7,000]() U.S. service members were killed during 20 years of fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere as part of the Global War on Terror. As for Russia’s response to the quickly deleted disclosure? [Hacking](). https://twitter.com/DanLamothe/status/1506301270738538498 Though the exact figures are hard to pin down, there have been some significant revelations about Russian casualties since the invasion began on Feb. 24. We know that Russian generals are [dying on the front lines](), and at least five have [reportedly]() been killed. At the beginning of March, Russia [admitted]() to around 2,000 casualties. The [BBC]() has confirmed the names of at least 557 casualties, including a general and five colonels. U.S. estimates of Russian casualties have remained rather opaque, and according to a senior defense official there is “[little clarity]()” about Russian casualty numbers. Other intelligence estimates project as many as [1,000 casualties a day](). That isn’t even accounting for the casualties suffered by the Ukrainian military and the civilians who are caught in the fighting. In the past month, the seeming incompetence of the Russian military has itself become fodder for memes and other information broadcasts. There has been [St. Javelin]() and the almost endless videos of [Russian military vehicles towed away]() by Ukrainian farmers. But if the recent apparent disclosure of casualty numbers from Russian media are to be believed, things are not going well for the Russian military in Ukraine. ## What’s new on Task & Purpose - **Army Special Forces team takes part in** [**legendary race through the Nevada desert**]() - [**‘A catastrophic kill’ — Experts break down armored combat**]() **seen through the sights of a Ukrainian vehicle** - **Why the skies over Ukraine have proven so** [**deadly for Russian pilots**]() - [**Legion of the damned:**]() **Inside Ukraine’s army of misfits, veterans, and war tourists in the fight against Russia** - **Woman accused of stolen valor charged with**[ **defrauding $250,000 from veteran charities**]() **Want to write for Task & Purpose?** [**Click here**]()**. Or check out the latest stories on** [**our homepage.**]() ## Author Max Hauptman is a former breaking news reporter at Task & Purpose. He previously worked at The Washington Post as a Military Veterans in Journalism Fellow, as well as covering local news in New England. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Instagram]()