Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine
The war that turns the Black Sea into a combat zone begins. The same day Russian warships attack Snake Island.
The full-scale war began on 24 February 2022 with the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian armed forces. Flank shows the figures of the parties, of the UN and of independent projects separately, each with its basis.
Sides
According to The Insider, more than 10 videos and posts impersonate international media outlets and organisations to spread allegations against Ukraine. The campaign and its attribution to the Russian network have not been independently confirmed.
The report describes navigation interference from the Baltic to the Black Sea. There is no independent confirmation, and the dates of the alleged event.
News.ro and Digi24, citing deschide.md and NewsMaker.md, report that a drone entered Moldovan airspace from the direction of Odesa region at 04:23 on Wednesday morning. Both outlets cite the same Moldovan publications, and there is as yet no independent confirmation of the flight.
Ukraine reports combat results from robotic mounts against drones and is preparing joint command and control for different air defence systems. The specific interceptions have not been independently confirmed.
Iliana Yotova won the runoff with 57.6%, and for the first time in years Bulgaria's head of state and prime minister will pursue one foreign and defence policy. The vote came amid ships sunk in Bulgaria's economic zone, a dispute over a donation from a company bearing the name of a Ukrainian drone maker, and protests outside the Presidency. What is established and what remains a claim.
On 29 October 2026, the Khoryv, which had been drifting in Bulgarian waters, partially sank off Shabla. bTV reported, citing the Ministry of Defence, that the vessel was half-submerged; other reports said its stern had settled on the seabed east of Tyulenovo and Cape Shabla.
Overnight into 3 November, Russian forces struck energy facilities and port infrastructure in Ukraine, Russia’s Defence Ministry said. It also said two dry-cargo ships were hit "at the port of Yuzhny (Pivdennyi) and in the Black Sea", without saying which ship was where; Interfax reported the statement. Ukrainian officials confirm strikes on energy facilities, but not the hits on the ships.
According to The Insider, more than 10 videos and posts impersonate international media outlets and organisations to spread allegations against Ukraine. The campaign and its attribution to the Russian network have not been independently confirmed.
The report describes navigation interference from the Baltic to the Black Sea. There is no independent confirmation, and the dates of the alleged event.
News.ro and Digi24, citing deschide.md and NewsMaker.md, report that a drone entered Moldovan airspace from the direction of Odesa region at 04:23 on Wednesday morning. Both outlets cite the same Moldovan publications, and there is as yet no independent confirmation of the flight.
Side A · Belligerent
The cost of the war
0
Deaths identified by name · Russia
Russian service members killed in the war, identified by name by Mediazona and BBC Russian (obituaries, relatives' posts, local media, state registries). A minimum — not the total number of deaths.
Side B · Belligerent
The cost of the war
0
Deaths identified by name · Ukraine
Ukrainian service members killed since 24 February 2022, identified by name by the independent project UALosses (obituaries, local authorities and media, relatives' posts). A minimum — not the total number of deaths. The missing and prisoners are counted separately and are not included.
Theatres: Eastern Europe, Black Sea
Civilian casualties verified case by case — a verified minimum; the actual numbers are higher.
Civilians killed and injured in Ukraine since 24 February 2022, verified by the UN — cumulative. A verified minimum: the actual number is considerably higher.
Civilians killed and injured in Ukraine in the month, verified by the UN. A verified minimum — the actual numbers are higher.
Claims by the parties are not independently verified. Independent counts are minimums identified by name.
Russian losses as reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, published by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. A claim by a party to the war, not independently verified. "Personnel" includes killed and wounded.
Personnel
≈ 1,570,540
| Metric | Value | Daily | 7 days | 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel | ≈ 1,570,540 | +1,820 | +13,190 | +50,890 |
| Tanks | 12,436 | +11 | +22 | +75 |
| Armoured combat vehicles | 25,586 | +16 | +51 | +221 |
| Artillery systems | 51,403 | +44 | +208 | +1,261 |
| MLRS | 2,228 | +1 | +16 | +79 |
| Air defence systems | 1,716 | +2 | +12 | +54 |
| Aircraft | 449 | ±0 | +6 | +7 |
| Helicopters | 356 | ±0 | ±0 | ±0 |
| UAVs | 573,392 | +1,820 | +9,803 | +45,699 |
| Cruise missiles | 5,138 | ±0 | +12 | +27 |
| Ships and boats | 35 | ±0 | ±0 | ±0 |
| Submarines | 2 | ±0 | ±0 | ±0 |
| Vehicles and fuel tanks | 165,278 | +407 | +2,489 | +13,417 |
| Special equipment | 4,844 | +2 | +16 | +115 |
| Unmanned ground vehicles | 2,990 | +4 | +39 | +278 |
Ukrainian losses as reported by the Ministry of Defence of Russia. A claim by a party to the war, not independently verified.
Personnel
≈ 1,000,000
| Metric | Value | Daily | 7 days | 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel | ≈ 1,000,000 | — | — | — |
| Aircraft | 674 | ±0 | ±0 | — |
| Helicopters | 284 | ±0 | ±0 | — |
| UAVs | 266,887 | +7,713 | +7,713 | — |
| Air defence systems | 672 | ±0 | ±0 | — |
| Armoured combat vehicles | 31,332 | +142 | +142 | — |
| MLRS | 1,792 | +6 | +6 | — |
| Artillery systems | 36,772 | +81 | +81 | — |
| Vehicles and fuel tanks | 75,164 | +934 | +934 | — |
Separate from the parties' claims: cases identified by name, with their methodology and limitations. Not comparable line by line with official figures.
Russian service members killed in the war, identified by name by Mediazona and BBC Russian (obituaries, relatives' posts, local media, state registries). A minimum — not the total number of deaths.
Deaths identified by name
258,989
Limitations: The latest months are the most incomplete and are filled in with a delay.
Since 24.02.2022, cumulative, updated about every two weeks.
Ukrainian service members killed since 24 February 2022, identified by name by the independent project UALosses (obituaries, local authorities and media, relatives' posts). A minimum — not the total number of deaths. The missing and prisoners are counted separately and are not included.
Deaths identified by name
94,301
Methodology: Only deaths with a name and a source are counted, including non-combat deaths. The figure is from the project's Statistics page ("Killed" for post-February 2022 records); the total in the site header also includes 2014–2021.
Limitations: Anonymous volunteers; data for large cities, Transcarpathia, the east and the south are scarce. The latest months are filled in with a delay.
Since 24.02.2022, cumulative. The project has not been updated since 21.06.2026.
Estimates by think tanks and intelligence services — not counts and not official figures. Shown as ranges, as published, and never added to other figures.
Ukrainian military killed and total military casualties (killed, wounded, missing) since 24 February 2022, as estimated by the US think tank CSIS. An estimate — not a count and not an official figure.
Military killed
≈ 150,000
Estimate: 125,000 – 150,000
Military casualties (killed, wounded, missing)
≈ 625,000
Estimate: 525,000 – 625,000
Methodology: CSIS estimate (Seth G. Jones, Riley McCabe) based on open sources and interviews with US and European officials. "Military casualties" as CSIS defines them — killed, wounded and missing. Values are ranges as published.
Limitations: An estimate, not a count: the method and assumptions are not fully published. The June 2025 brief counted casualties as killed and wounded (no missing) and is not included.
Cumulative since 24.02.2022; with each new CSIS brief.
Russian military killed and total military casualties (killed, wounded, missing) since 24 February 2022, as estimated by the US think tank CSIS. An estimate — not a count and not an official figure.
Military killed
≈ 450,000
Estimate: 400,000 – 450,000
Military casualties (killed, wounded, missing)
≈ 1,400,000
Methodology: CSIS estimate (Seth G. Jones, Riley McCabe) based on open sources and interviews with US and European officials. "Military casualties" as CSIS defines them — killed, wounded and missing. Values are ranges as published.
Limitations: An estimate, not a count: the method and assumptions are not fully published. The June 2025 brief counted casualties as killed and wounded (no missing) and is not included.
Cumulative since 24.02.2022; with each new CSIS brief.
Start of hostilities
The war that turns the Black Sea into a combat zone begins. The same day Russian warships attack Snake Island.
Political decision
Türkiye applies the Montreux Convention and bars warships of the warring parties, except those returning to base.
Naval action
The flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet sinks after a strike Ukraine says was made with Neptune missiles.
Diplomacy
An agreement for the safe export of grain from Ukrainian ports is signed in Istanbul.
Political decision
The agreement lapses; strikes on the ports of Odesa and the Danube follow.
Other
A merchant ship leaves Odesa through the temporary corridor along the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria.
Aircraft lost or damaged in the war, by operator and kind. Fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and UAVs are separate; documented losses, official claims and estimates are never added together.
Fixed-wing aircraft
Helicopter
Unmanned aerial vehicle
| Kind | Independently documentedoperator acknowledgement or independent sources | Official claimsnot independently verified | Unconfirmed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed-wing aircraft | 125 | 14 | 3 |
| Helicopter | 125 | 12 | 2 |
| Unmanned aerial vehicle | 15 | — | — |
Fixed-wing aircraft
Helicopter
Unmanned aerial vehicle
| Kind | Independently documentedoperator acknowledgement or independent sources | Official claimsnot independently verified | Unconfirmed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed-wing aircraft | 105 | 13 | 2 |
| Helicopter | 40 | — | 1 |
| Unmanned aerial vehicle | 49 | 4 | 8 |
Incidents of the war — editorial and historical records, each on the map only as precisely as the sources allow.
Figures come from the sources shown, with their basis. Claims by the parties are not independently verified.
The essentials on defence and security in Bulgaria, the region and the Black Sea, in your inbox once a week.

Bosphorus, TurkeyShipping
According to the Turkish news agency, the tanker passed through with tugs en route to a shipbreaking yard in Aliağa. The report, including the claim of an earlier drone attack in the Black Sea, has not been independently confirmed.

Black SeaNaval Warfare
The partially submerged cargo ship has no crew or lights and poses a hazard to navigation. Bulgarian authorities are tracking its movement and preparing an inspection by a Navy vessel.

Black SeaDrones
Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova said the government wants to establish the origin of the drones before drawing firm conclusions. Her remarks do not indicate that there is an agreement to halt attacks on merchant ships: a moratorium is only a possibility.

SofiaGeopolitics
Digi24 and HotNews report remarks by Rumen Radev in which he calls for evidence of responsibility for the attacks. At the same time, they attribute to him the claim that Bucharest’s accusations led to further strikes — a causal link for which they provide no evidence.

Dzhankoi, CrimeaMilitary Infrastructure
According to Ukrinform, the movement cites an agent of its own in the Russian armed forces. It links the energy facility to military supply in occupied Crimea, but neither this link nor the information received has been independently confirmed.

Gvardeyskoye, CrimeaOSINT
According to the Ukrainian channel, more than 20 shelters protected by earth embankments and around 40 smaller structures are being built at the airfield. There is no independent confirmation, and the number of facilities alone does not indicate an increase in attack capacity.

Odesa region, UkraineMilitary Aviation
The outlet has published information about photographs of a craft it identifies as a new Russian variant with a modified design. Its identity and the cause of the crash remain unconfirmed.

New York, USARussia–Ukraine War
The Ministry of Defence Information Centre cites DPA as reporting that UN human rights officials describe Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as war crimes and crimes against humanity. According to the assessment, the systematic strikes have had lasting consequences for civilians.
The maritime side of the conflict — ships struck, mines and incidents in the Black Sea.
Go to the Black Sea →Military vessels sunk
14
Civilian vessels sunk
7
Military vessels damaged
15
Civilian vessels damaged
57
| Military | Civilian | |
|---|---|---|
| Destroyed | 6 | 0 |
| Captured | — | 12 |
| Scuttled | 1 | — |
Unique vessels affected by the war
197
175 maritime incidents · 213 ship-events
Never merged: each sea on its own, by the sea of the event that decided each vessel's outcome.
| Waters | Vessels | Military vessels sunk | Incidents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Sea | 197 | 14 | 175 |
| Sea of Azov | 40 | 2 | 27 |
| Kerch Strait | 8 | 0 | 7 |
| Danube | 31 | 1 | 19 |
| Total | 276 | 17 | 226 |
All 174 Black Sea incidents involving ships since 24 February 2022 — editorial and historical records — by month. Pick a year, or a month in the chart.
Only the month is known
Only the month is known