The impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on Komi
An analysis by the editors of the exile publication Komi Daily on those killed in the war shows how the Russia-Ukraine war is affecting the future of the region.
The editorial team has analysed publicly available data on war casualties and identified the districts that have suffered the greatest losses. The data clearly show the price the republic is paying for the imperialist ambitions of the Russian authorities.
Casualty statistics
According to Komi Daily, Russia is concealing data on the number of casualties and attempting to downplay the losses in public. This is why the editorial team relies on unofficial data from the portal Север неизвестный.
As of 18 February 2026, the portal lists data on 1,933 residents of the Komi Republic who died in the war. The names of professional military personnel have been omitted from the list because the editorial staff was unable to determine their place of residence. The data on the 1,896 who died shows that most (362) lived in the republic’s capital, Syktyvkar, followed by the Ust-Kulom district (149), Pechora (146), Ukhta (143), Vorkuta (143) and the towns of Sosnogorsk (100).
Rural regions under stress
Most of the fallen came from cities, but the picture changes when considering the number of fallen per 1,000 inhabitants: the Ust-Kulom district, Troitsko-Pechora, and Ust-Tsilemsky districts are in the lead with 7 people. According to the editorial board’s estimates, there are proportionally more casualties in rural districts, with cities coming last in these statistics. For example, in Syktyvkar and Ukhta, there have been 1-2 casualties per 1,000 inhabitants. Comparing these data with the Komi Statistical Office’s data on social cohesion, the editorial board concludes that the losses per 1,000 inhabitants are greater in municipalities that suffer most from emigration, high mortality, low incomes and, for example, poor road conditions.
According to Komi Daily, military spending is depriving rural areas of medical care. The hospital network has been reorganised and many districts have been left without hospitals. Thus, the war is hitting poorer regions twice as hard. The editorial board adds that rural residents are at greater risk of dying on the front lines. The average age of Komi residents killed in the war is under 39.
Disproportion of ethnic minorities
According to the editorial board’s estimates, since the beginning of the war, members of minority groups have suffered proportionally more deaths than ethnic Russians. Some believe that this is genocide against Russia’s ethnic groups, while others believe that the reasons should be sought in economic factors, such as the fact that residents of ethnic republics, such as Buryatia, are poorer than residents of Moscow or St. Petersburg and are therefore more likely to sign voluntary soldier contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense. This is also evident when analysing data from Komi: people in rural areas are poorer than city dwellers and have signed more soldier contracts. However, when analysing rural areas comparatively, things are not so clear-cut.
Komi Daily refers to Berlin University sociologist Güzel Yusupova, who believes that the most vulnerable to mobilisation are people belonging to ethnic minorities who live in rural areas and have limited mobility. The further away a place of residence is from a regional center, the higher its conscription quota, and such areas usually have a higher proportion of ethnic minorities. These are often poor areas where it is difficult for people to move to the city. Because leaving is difficult, they become easy targets for military commissariats. According to the latest 2021 census data, which should be treated with caution, the proportion of Komi people in the rural districts of the Komi Republic (Izhemsk, Kotkeros, Ust-Kolomsk, Sysolsk) is higher than the regional average.
Ongoing investigation
The Komi Daily editorial team confirms that it will continue to investigate the republic’s losses in the Russia-Ukraine war, because behind the numbers are people’s fates and far-reaching consequences for entire districts. The editorial board believes that understanding the patterns behind these losses is crucial for the future of the entire Komi region.
