Pro-Kremlin newspaper unwittingly publishes Russian troops death toll
Pro-Kremlin newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda reported that nearly 10,000 Russian troops have died as a result of the invasion into Ukraine.
The newspaper published an article Monday that included a paragraph stating that Russia’s defense ministry said its losses in Ukraine are 9,862 dead and 16,153 injured.
"Russia’s Ministry of Defense denies the information of the Ukrainian General Staff about alleged large-scale casualties among the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine," the article stated. "According to the data of the Russian ministry of defense, in the course of the special operation in Ukraine, Russia’s armed forces have lost 9,861 dead, 16,153 have received wounds."
Not long after journalists online spotted the number, the article vanished and then was reposted without any mention of Russian casualties, indicating that the newspaper likely published the figure unwittingly.
If a journalist deliberately posted the death toll, they could be severely prosecuted under a new Russian law.
Komsomolskaya Pravda later claimed in a statement that it was hacked and that a "fake" was added to one of its articles.
"On March 21, website admin interface was hacked and a fake was added to a publication about the situation around the special operation in Ukraine," the statement read.
Russia has not published an official death toll for its forces since March 3, when it said just 498 of its troops had been killed.
The U.S. has estimated that between 2,000 and 10,000 Russians have been killed in the conflict.








