Putin’s relative accidentally discloses classified Russian death toll in Ukraine – ‘We should not include these figures anywhere!’
A relative of Vladimir Putin has accidentally disclosed classified Russian casualty figures from the war in Ukraine during a parliamentary hearing last month.
Ana Tsivilyova, daughter of Putin’s cousin and a deputy defence minister, revealed that 48,000 relatives had submitted DNA samples to track missing soldiers.
The sensitive data was exposed during a meeting with lawmakers, as shown in footage published by Astra, a Russian opposition Telegram channel.
The actual number of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine is believed to be significantly higher, according to Western intelligence assessments, with battlefield losses remaining a closely guarded secret in both Russia and Ukraine.
In 2023, Putin appointed Tsivilyova as chairman of a Kremlin fund for war veterans. She was later promoted to deputy defence minister, with her father being Yevgeny Putin, the president’s cousin. The revelation came during a November parliamentary hearing, where Tsivilyova explained the DNA collection process.
“The ministry of internal affairs takes DNA samples absolutely free of charge at its own expense, and enters into its database for all the relatives who have applied to us. I’ve already said 48,000,” she told lawmakers.
Moments after Tsivilyova disclosed the data, defence committee chief Andrei Kartapolov swiftly intervened. He told those present: “I earnestly ask you not to use these figures anywhere. This is such sensitive, closed information.”
He emphasised the need to keep the numbers under wraps, adding: “And when we draw up the final documents, we should not include these figures anywhere.”
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The urgent interjection highlighted the Kremlin’s determination to maintain secrecy around its wartime losses. The data breach occurred despite Moscow’s strict controls on information about military casualties since the invasion began in February 2022.
Western intelligence sources indicate Russia has suffered more than 700,000 dead or badly injured during the nearly three-year conflict.
This figure vastly exceeds the Soviet Union’s losses in Afghanistan, where around 70,000 casualties were recorded during their decade-long war from 1979.
November 2023 marked Russia’s bloodiest month since the invasion began, with forces suffering approximately 1,500 casualties daily.
November was Russia’s bloodiest month since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, with Putin’s army facing 1,500 casualties every day.
The Russian President has been urging on his forces ahead of an expected peace deal set to be imposed by Donald Trump after he is sworn in as the next US President in January.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky said he had imposed sanctions against Georgian billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili and some members of the Georgian government.
He told a press conference: “These are sanctions against the part of the government in Georgia that is handing Georgia over to (Russian president Vladimir) Putin.”