Hacked data reveals 400,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine; Abu Dhabi talks set to begin

Hacked data from Russia's statistics agency indicates approximately 400,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began, according to Bloomberg, citing data from hacker groups. The data, obtained from over 11 million death certificates by the Belarusian Cyber Partisans and Ukrainian Silent Crow groups, shows at least 393,881 Russian military deaths as of August 27, 2026. Silent Crow's estimate is higher at 450,100, with differences attributed to varying calculation methods. Russia has not published official combat loss statistics since September 2022. The leaked information comes as US-mediated trilateral talks between Russia and Ukraine are scheduled to begin Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, with European representatives holding separate coordination meetings. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has threatened to block the EU's next multi-year budget unless all member states commit to funding Ukraine's €70 billion financial shortfall for 2027.