The North Caucasus region consistently demonstrates the lowest war casualties among Russian forces, challenging prevalent assumptions. An analysis conducted by Memorial, utilizing data from Mediazona and the BBC, reveals significantly lower death rates compared to other areas within Russia. The investigation, examining confirmed deaths through February 2026, estimates a total of 194,498 fatalities, rising to approximately 219,000 when incorporating an alternative methodology based on inheritance records.
Across Russia, the average death rate stands at 1.35 individuals per 1,000 inhabitants. Notably, republics within the North Caucasus – Karachay–Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Daghestan, Ingushetia, and Chechnya – exhibit dramatically reduced rates, ranging from 0.3 to 0.86 per 1,000. Only Moscow displays a lower proportion of deaths than Chechnya.
For contrast, regions like Tuva, Chukotka, and Buryatia experience considerably higher losses, with rates of 5.24, 5, and 4.36 per 1,000 respectively. This data challenges the notion of the North Caucasus as “Putin’s first infantry.” North Ossetia, however, presents an exception, recording a third higher death rate than the national average due to a historically rooted military tradition and established military infrastructure. Despite this outlier, its losses remain significantly lower than those in the most heavily impacted areas.
Several factors contribute to this lower mortality. Memorial’s experts highlight distorted official employment and income data, influenced by labor migration, strong family support networks, and a widespread informal economy. Furthermore, historical attitudes towards war, particularly anti-war sentiment observed in republics like Ingushetia and Chechnya, play a crucial role.
Limited protest activity, such as the women’s demonstration in Grozny, underscores this resistance. Some researchers suggest that deliberate limitations on recruitment pressure by federal authorities may also be a factor, considering the region’s potential for rapid mobilization and past conflicts. The consistently low figures, coupled with limited official data released since February 2022, reinforce the conclusion that the North caucasus has experienced the lowest war losses within Russia.
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