Investigation: At least 400,000 Russian troops have returned from the front

More than 400,000 returned

According to an investigation by the independent Russian news outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe, at least 400,000 Russian troops have returned from the front in Ukraine to civilian life. The journalists reached this conclusion by comparing limited official data with their own calculations.

One source was a December 2025 statement by Sergei Novikov, head of the presidential directorate for public projects, who said that 167,000 people had applied to the Defenders of the Fatherland fund and received veteran status. He also said that another 250,000 returnees "remain unemployed." Adding these figures gives 417,000.

A second method starts from an estimate that over more than four years, roughly 1.5–1.6 million contract soldiers and mobilized men (excluding volunteers) have passed through the war. The current front-line force is about 700,000, and independent estimates put the death toll at over 350,000. This yields at least 400,000 returnees.

Expert assessment

Experts, including analysts from the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), consider 400,000 a lower-bound estimate. They say a plausible range is 500,000 to 800,000.

The first to return were the seriously wounded—at least 300,000 troops had been demobilized due to wounds by the end of 2025. Former convicts who fought mainly with the Wagner mercenary group are also returning; their number is estimated at about 31,000. Another 50,000 returning volunteers signed contracts with Wagner and other formations.

Post-war prospects

Once the war ends, assuming its nature does not change radically, another 700,000 people with combat experience could return, along with new severely wounded veterans. The journalists note that former troops, judging by open data, commit an anomalously high number of murders and serious assaults compared to ordinary men.