Russia Appears To Be Hiding Its Death Figures
Rosstat, Russia's state statistics agency, did not report key demographic data in its report for the first five months of 2025, according to independent outlet Meduza.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a think tank in Washington, D.C., said in a July 6 update that the Russian government wanted to conceal population data to hide growing demographic problems and high losses in Ukraine. Newsweek has contacted Rosstat for comment.
Even before Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia was facing significant demographic challenges amid a plummeting birth rate. These have increased since February 2022 because of huge casualties and the exodus of Russians fleeing the draft, exacerbating a labor shortage that has fueled inflation in the sanctions-hit economy.
Reports that Rosstat is trying to hide population data highlight the sensitivity for the Kremlin of the demographic crisis that Russia faces and the instability it may cause.
Meduza reported on Saturday that Rosstat's "Socioeconomic Situation in Russia" report published on July 2 did not include demographic data between January and May this year.
Electoral statistics researcher Dmitry Kobak said the agency had refused his request for figures from 2024 about male excess mortality and deaths per month, the outlet reported.
In May, independent Russian demographer Alexey Raksha wrote on his Telegram channel that Rosstat had ceased publishing detailed population data and omitted figures for births and deaths and monthly data on marriages and divorces.
Raksha, whom Russian authorities have declared a foreign agent, reported an absence of demographic statistics since March, adding that Russia may be having its lowest birth rates since the late 18th century.
The omission of demographic data in Rosstat's reports is also likely an attempt to conceal the high military losses in Ukraine.
As of Monday, Russia had suffered personnel losses of 1,027,540, according to Ukraine's military, a figure that includes those killed and injured.
Ukraine's figures are difficult to independently verify, but they are frequently cited by Western officials. The British government said in April that Russia's likely total casualty count since February 2022 was 920,000.
Meduza reported that as early as July 2024, Rosstat had begun to restrict death statistics from external causes, which independent journalists had used to calculate the number of Russians killed in the war.
Institute for the Study of War reported on Sunday: "Rosstat is concealing population data in an attempt to obfuscate Russia's ongoing demographic problems, and the omission ... likely also aims to obscure the Russian military's high personnel loss rates."
Russian demographer Alexey Raksha wrote on Telegram in May: "March (2025) set a record low for the average daily number of births in the Russian Federation."
Branislav Slantchev, a professor of political science at the University of California, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "The Kremlin is desperate to hide two things: the fact that Russia has lost over a quarter of a million soldiers killed in Ukraine, and the fact that the Russians have an abysmal birth rate that is about to crush them over the coming decades."
The Kremlin has prioritized addressing Russia's demographic decline, announcing in December a "Strategy of Action" to provide financial incentives for people to have more children in the next five years and plans to ban "childfree ideology."
Related Articles
Lavrov Lists Russia Demands for Ukraine PeaceCaptive Audience: How Putin Shapes Russian OpinionsDonald Trump Threatens Russia Tariffs as Relationship With Putin WorsensPutin Claims Credit for US Independence
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Senate majority leader says Republicans ready to move on Russia sanctions bill when Trump gives green light
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republicans will vote on a Russia sanctions bill as soon as President Donald Trump green-lights the legislation. A bipartisan U.S. sanctions bill co-sponsored by Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., would target the Russian economy and countries that help prop up Russian President Vladimir Putin's war machine by buying cheap oil and gas. "We ought to do whatever we can to help Ukraine succeed and to put pressure on Russia to come to the table," Thune said Wednesday in a wide-ranging interview on "Special Report." The bill has 85 co-sponsors in the Senate but has been put on hold after Trump announced Monday at the White House that he would sell weapons to NATO countries for distribution to Ukraine. Trump also threatened to enact 100% secondary tariffs on countries that trade with Russia if a deal isn't made within 50 days. "The president, I think, has decided to move sort of unilaterally on that front, both on sanctions and with respect to weapons delivery to Ukraine. So, I think he understands what it's going to take to get the Russians to the table," Thune explained. "We want to work with him and be partners on that." Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told the Russian state-owned news agency TASS that ultimatums and demands to Moscow are unacceptable. "It is necessary to focus on political and diplomatic work. The president of the Russian Federation has repeatedly said that we are ready to negotiate and that the diplomatic path is the one we prefer," Ryabkov said. He added that the war in Ukraine would continue if his country's war goals weren't addressed through diplomacy. Moscow has maintained its maximalist demands during two rounds of negotiations in Istanbul, which Ukrainian officials say essentially call for Kyiv's capitulation. Trump has grown frustrated with Putin, who has refused to agree to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire proposed by the United States and its European allies earlier this year. His two-week deadlines for Russia to advance peace talks with Ukraine have repeatedly expired without significant progress or consequences. Ukraine's Air Force said Tuesday that Russia launched more than 400 drones at multiple Ukrainian cities, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's hometown of Kryvyi Rih. "I think what the president wants in all these circumstances — he starts with — from a proposition that he wants peace in these areas of conflict around the world. But at some point, there's got to be leverage on Russia," Thune told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier. "And right now, they are continuing to fire into areas where they are killing innocent civilians."
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Here's what Metro Vancouver mayors and councillors really get paid
Some Metro Vancouver mayors and councillors were able to earn tens of thousands of dollars on top of their official municipal salaries in 2024, according to a Postmedia News analysis. They did so by serving as board members of local and federal organizations, including Metro, TransLink and the Municipal Finance Authority, among others. Outside board payments added at least $2.4 million to city council salaries in 2024 — nearly 16 per cent of the total. The final cost to residents? At least $11.1 million by Postmedia's tally. And at least $4.2 million of that went to Metro's nearly two dozen mayors. To gather the data, Postmedia scoured websites and emailed staff at nearly two dozen local and federal agencies, as well as the municipalities themselves. While technically public, the data wasn't always easy to come by. It took several days to collect. For New Westminster Coun. Daniel Fontaine, the lack of transparency is a concern. New West, along with Richmond, recently passed legislation requiring city councillors to publicly report all compensation, including fees for serving as board members. They're the first municipalities in the province to require such reporting. 'It's not that difficult if you put your mind to it,' Fontaine said. 'Look at members of Parliament, members of the legislative assembly. With one click you can find out exactly how much they are remunerated in any given year. That is completely unavailable at the municipal level. I think it's an oversight.' Fontaine thinks the B.C. government should introduce legislation mandating similar reporting provincewide. On Wednesday, Metro held the first meeting of its governance committee, formed to implement recommendations from a Deloitte Canada report that reviewed the regional authority's management. During the meeting, the subject of remuneration came up repeatedly, with Coun. Lisa Muri of the District of North Vancouver calling it the 'elephant in the room.' Several directors expressed frustration over public complaints about compensation paid to mayors or councillors serving on boards at multiple organizations. They noted Metro already eliminated double meeting fees and made other pay changes recommended during the review. They stressed that the regional authority has no influence over who sits on boards at other agencies, like TransLink, or how much they're paid. Board chairwoman and Vancouver Coun. Lisa Dominato suggested the board could consider asking the province to pass legislation mandating municipal council members publish comprehensive pay information each year. In 2024, eight Metro mayors earned more than B.C. Premier David Eby, who earned $227,000. MLAs in B.C. have a base salary of $119,532.72, with top-ups for additional responsibilities. In contrast, the best-paid council member in 2024 in Metro was Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie, who earned a total of $380,000. In addition to a $243,000 salary from the City of Richmond, Brodie earned $51,000 from Metro, $58,000 from TransLink and $28,000 from the Municipal Financial Authority of B.C. (MFA), which provides low-cost financing to B.C. municipalities. The second-highest paid was Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley. He earned at least $358,000 in 2024, including $73,000 from Metro, $48,000 from TransLink and $1,000 from the MFA — on top of his $235,000 salary. He is the current chairman of Metro's board of directors. Last March, Burnaby Coun. Richard Lee proposed creating and making public an annual financial report that would detail all payments received by Burnaby council members, similar to what recently passed in New West and Richmond. No other council member supported the motion. At the time, Hurley told Burnaby Now that Lee's proposal was 'a waste of staff's time.' Lee disagreed, citing the value of transparency and accountability. 'If the staff can contribute a few hours getting the data and put it on the website then I think the public will be well-served,' Lee told Postmedia. He supported an idea presented in the report of capping either total compensation or the number of boards councillors could sit on. He said it was important for the public to see that councillors 'have enough time to digest the materials for meetings,' saying sometimes directors are given 'whole binders' to read. 'The mayor is a full-time job, sometimes more than that,' he said. 'So in addition to that, if you assume duties in TransLink and Metro Vancouver and other boards than I think there are some concerns. 'Can the person handle that?' Lee said he would likely wait and see if the province would implement a provincewide program before resubmitting his original motion. Staff at Hurley's office said the mayor was out of the country and didn't know if he was responding to media requests. Other council members who took home some of the highest outside compensation in 2024 included Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West, who earned $106,000 on top of his $194,000 city salary; City of North Vancouver Mayor Linda Buchanan, who earned $83,000 above her $177,000 salary; and Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, who earned $76,000 on top of her $187,000 city pay. The median (middle) pay of a council member in Metro in 2024 was $78,000, though that ranged from a low of $17,000 in Belcarra to a high of $145,000 in Vancouver. Related B.C. Public Sector Salaries Database: Find out how much public servants make B.C. cuts Metro Vancouver developers a break from soaring fees, backstopped by $250 million in federal cash ngriffiths@
Politico
4 hours ago
- Politico
Trump needs to impose more Russia sanctions now, Latvian foreign minister urges
Braže welcomed Trump's Monday announcement that the U.S. would send weapons to Ukraine and that he would impose secondary tariffs of up to 100 percent on countries that still trade with Russia if Moscow does not agree to a peace deal in 50 days. But Russia still preserves its ability to keep fighting 'for a while,' she warned, saying the West must immediately ramp up pressure on Moscow to try to force it to the negotiating table. Imposing sanctions without delay would be a way to do that. The U.S. and its allies must make sure 'Russia understands that it's not going to do better, but worse with every day,' she said. 'We're seeing that already, the Russian economy is not doing well.' Asked Tuesday why he would give Putin two months to accede to his demands, Trump said he could move more quickly. 'I don't think 50 days is very long. It could be sooner than that,' Trump said. Braže said sanctions could have a real impact on the battlefield. 'What we are looking for is pressure on Russia and weakening Russia's ability to conduct warfare. It's not about the Russian people,' she said. 'It's about the Russian war fighting capacity and what they are doing on the battlefield, that all needs to be weakened.' Intelligence assessments broadly conclude that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not interested in ending the war, she added. U.S. intelligence reached that conclusion earlier this year as negotiations have dragged on. 'The intel and overall assessment has been aligned among the allies, including the Americans, that there is no indication that Putin wants peace,' she said. Trump has come to the same conclusion after trying to keep the door open for Russia, she argued.
