# Leaked Data Reveals Over 11,000 Foreign Nationals Killed Fighting for Russia Stolen death certificates expose the global scale of foreign recruitment in the Ukraine conflict. - **Source:** [Interia Fakty](https://fakty.interia.pl) - **Published:** 2026-11-11 - **Topic:** [world](https://brifing.si/c/world) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/40cb8de5-d30b-44d4-ad6d-0977d22eb5b8 ## Massive Data Breach Exposed Hackers from Cyber Partisans and Silent Crow breached 25,000 Rosstat computers, stealing 23 terabytes of data. This leak includes 11 million death certificates, revealing that at least 11,335 foreign nationals died fighting for Russia between February 24, 2022, and August 2026. Rosstat acknowledged the cyberattack but denied any sensitive information was compromised. ## Rising Foreign Combatant Casualties The number of foreign combatant deaths surged significantly over the years, increasing more than eightfold from approximately 630 in 2022 to over 5,500 in 2025. This sharp rise highlights the intensification of Russia's reliance on non-Russian personnel as the conflict progressed, with casualties spanning individuals from nearly 100 different countries worldwide. ## Diverse Origins of Recruits The largest group of fatalities, totaling 3,700, consisted of individuals born in Ukraine or the post-Soviet space, mostly from occupied territories. Approximately 80 percent of the remaining deceased originated from other former Soviet republics. Additionally, around 340 individuals from African nations, including Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana, were confirmed among the dead. ## Wave-Based Recruitment Patterns Russia utilized distinct waves to recruit foreign fighters throughout the war. Data indicates high mortality rates for Nepalese nationals in 2023-2024, followed by recruits from Sri Lanka and China in 2024-2025. By late 2025, the demographic shifted further, with increased deaths recorded among personnel arriving from Colombia, Kenya, and Nigeria to the front lines. ## Global Recruitment Controversies Russia faces accusations of luring foreign nationals through deceptive promises of employment, high salaries, or citizenship. These practices have sparked formal concerns from governments in Kenya, Ghana, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Such recruitment strategies reflect a broader effort to bolster military ranks, often targeting individuals from economically vulnerable regions across the globe. ## The North Korean Anomaly Despite reports of thousands of North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia, the leaked death certificates contain no records of their fatalities. Analysts suggest this absence implies that these soldiers served in separate, foreign-designated units rather than the official Russian army, allowing Moscow to avoid issuing standard death certificates for these specific combatants. ## Scale of Polish Involvement While exact figures for every nation remain unconfirmed, mapping data derived from the stolen documents indicates that between 50 and 99 Polish citizens died while fighting on the Russian side. This specific detail underscores the presence of European nationals within the ranks of foreign fighters engaged in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. ## Broader Conflict Implications Ukrainian officials estimate that Russia has recruited approximately 46,000 foreign nationals, with prisoners captured from 59 different countries. With total Russian military losses estimated between 393,000 and 450,000, the reliance on foreign recruits remains a critical component of Moscow's war effort, despite the high human cost and international diplomatic friction. ## Sources covering this story - [Interia Fakty — Thousands of Foreign Nationals Killed Fighting for Russia in Ukraine](https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/ukraina-rosja/news-tysiace-obcokrajowcow-zginelo-za-rosje-poufne-dane-na-liscie,nId,23572291) - [Polsat News — Thousands of Foreign Nationals Killed Fighting for Russia in Ukraine](https://www.polsatnews.pl/wiadomosc/2026-11-11/po-stronie-rosji-zginely-tysiace-cudzoziemcow-ujawniono-dane/) --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._