Journalists have identified that more than 500 foreign nationals from 28 countries, including the United States and Sri Lanka, have been killed while fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine.
That is according to a joint investigation by the BBC News Russian and Mediazona, based on open-source data, Ukrinform.
The actual number of foreign nationals who have died fighting for Russia in Ukraine is likely much higher than reported.
According to the data, North Korea is believed to have the highest number of foreign casualties. However, due to the lack of social media use among ordinary North Koreans and the secrecy of the Pyongyang regime, the identities of any North Korean casualties could not be confirmed.
South Korean intelligence estimates that around 600 North Korean soldiers have died on the front lines.
Among the confirmed foreign dead, the highest numbers are from Tajikistan (72 individuals) and Uzbekistan (66 individuals).
In both cases, more than half of the deceased were recruited from Russian prisons — 43 Tajiks and 46 Uzbeks had tried to “wipe clean” their criminal records, most often by signing contracts with the Wagner private military company.
Additionally, journalists have now verified the identities of 118,139 Russian soldiers who have died since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Source: Over 500 foreign mercenaries from 28 countries killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine – media
