Russia Erases Court Cases as War Losses Surge: A Cover-Up?
Russian regional court websites have systematically removed tens of thousands of case records related to missing or deceased persons, significantly hindering the ability to estimate Russia’s military casualties in Ukraine. This action, uncovered by Mediazona, has resulted in the disappearance of roughly 70,000 court case cards tied to missing-person claims from public databases. These records, crucial for independent analysts to assess battlefield losses, have been a reliable indirect indicator of casualties, especially as official figures remain classified. The removal of these records blocks the independent verification of casualty trends, coinciding with persistent high casualty rates since the start of the full-scale invasion.
John Q. Hosedrinker