The losses of the Soviet Union in World War II are a topic where numbers vary depending on the methodology of calculation and the political context. The official Russian position relies on the figure of twenty-six whole six tenths of a million people, however, there are other estimates.

Official Data

According to data from the Ministry of Defense of Russia, the total human losses of the Soviet Union, including military personnel and civilians, amount to twenty-six whole six tenths of a million people. Of these:

• Indefinite losses of the Armed Forces: eight million six hundred sixty-eight thousand four hundred people, including the war with Japan in August 1945.
• Civilian losses: approximately eighteen million people.

This figure includes those killed in battle, died of wounds, died in captivity, as well as civilians who became victims of genocide, famine, and diseases.

Other Estimates

Among historians and demographers, there is no consensus. The range of data is quite large.

• Twenty-seven million. The last official estimate published in 1999.
• Twenty-six and a half to twenty-seven million. Most modern Russian researchers tend to this figure of demographic losses.
• More than thirty-nine million. According to Rosstat data, if considering not only direct losses but also the deaths of unborn children and premature mortality due to severe living conditions.
• Forty-three to fifty-two million. An estimate proposed in the book “Unnatural Deaths in the U.S.S.R.”, where losses from repression and war are considered together.
• Forty-one whole nine tenths of a million. A figure mentioned in some publications based on declassified data from the State Planning Committee of the U.S.S.R.

Important Context

The discussion about losses is often politicized. For example, Donald Trump's statement about fifty million Soviet citizens killed was called exaggerated. On the other hand, some researchers consider the official figure of twenty-six whole six tenths of a million to be understated.

It is also worth noting the losses of Soviet prisoners of war: of approximately four and a half to five and a half million and seven tenths of a million who were taken prisoner, about fifty-seven percent died, that is, approximately two and a half to three and a half million and seven tenths of a million people, which is significantly higher than the mortality rate among prisoners of war from Western countries, which was about four percent.

Conclusion

Thus, twenty-six whole six tenths of a million is the most recognized official figure, but historians continue to debate its completeness and methods of calculation.
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