Russian hospitals reveal scale of Moscow's 2025 battlefield losses – investigation
An analysis of data from Russian hospitals suggests that 2025 became the deadliest year of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, with medical facilities in dozens of regions overwhelmed by wounded soldiers.
Source: an investigation by the open-source intelligence VOID group
Details: Researchers analysed procurement records, hospital reports, local government documents and social media posts from Russian medical institutions to track the growing burden on the country's healthcare system.
According to the investigation, military casualties placed unprecedented pressure on hospitals across Russia throughout 2025, forcing many civilian facilities to expand trauma capacity, postpone planned medical procedures and repurpose departments to treat wounded servicemen.
The analysts argue that the geographical spread of military patients – from border regions to hospitals thousands of kilometres from the frontline – reflects the scale of Russia's losses despite the Kremlin's continued refusal to disclose official casualty figures.
The report says that regional hospitals increasingly relied on emergency procurement of medical equipment, blood supplies, surgical materials and rehabilitation services, while local authorities publicly acknowledged the need to accommodate large numbers of wounded soldiers.
VOID researchers conclude that the available evidence points to casualty levels significantly exceeding those seen during previous years of the full-scale invasion.
The investigation also notes that Russia's military medical system increasingly depends on civilian hospitals, indicating sustained pressure on the country's healthcare infrastructure.
Background:
- Moscow has not published official casualty figures since the early months of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Independent researchers have relied on open-source information, probate records, cemetery data and leaked databases to estimate Russian losses.
- Previous investigations by RFE/RL based on leaked military hospital records and analyses by independent outlets such as Mediazona and Meduza have likewise indicated that Russian casualties have continued to rise sharply.
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