The Ukraine War in data: Hundreds surrender in Mariupol

During the siege of Ukraine’s southern port city of Mariupol, as hundreds of soldiers and civilians took shelter in the underground warrens of the Azovstal steel plant, the wife of a soldier sent a message to the world about the conditions her husband and his fellow soldiers were facing.

“I am sure that after the war,” Kateryna Prokopenko told The New York Times, “Spielberg will make the largest film about Azovstal.”

No doubt there will be a compelling and horrific human story to tell. For now, and in this space, some of the numbers that go with the story.

When the siege ended Monday, 264 Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered to the Russians in Mariupol, according to Ukraine’s defense ministry. Of those, more than 50 were severely wounded; they were taken to a hospital in Russian-occupied territory. It is not clear what has happened to the remaining 212 Ukrainians who surrendered. By Wednesday, Russia said nearly 1,000 fighters had been evacuated from the plant, the BBC reported.

The evacuated service members spent roughly 25 days underground, in conditions that grew more appalling as the Russian shelling continued and supplies of food and medicine dwindled. Mariupol had been under attack since the early days of the war, and Ukrainian service members took shelter inside the Azovstal plant around April 22.

At one point, Russia had devoted 13,000 troops to subduing Mariupol; the Economist reported this week that half those forces have already been redeployed.

Officials in Mariupol have estimated that 20,000 of the city’s 450,000 residents may have been killed during the siege. According to an investigation by i, a British newspaper, another 95,000 have been deported to “filtration” camps across Russia.

Grid’s reporting is based on the best available data and reporting; in some cases, we explained a range of figures or the reason we chose one over another. We originally published this document on March 24 and will update it every Thursday as long as the war persists.

Civilians killed: more than 3,752

The actual toll is much higher, the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights concedes. Officials in Mariupol say the toll there alone is more than five times what the U.N. suggests. Most of the deaths have been caused by shelling and rocket attacks on civilian areas, the United Nations observed. (updated May 17; source)

Ukrainian soldiers killed: 2,500-11,000

In an April 15 interview, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy estimated Ukrainian military losses at 2,500 to 3,000. U.S. intelligence officials put the number higher, at 5,500 to 11,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed since the invasion. (updated April 20; source, source)

Russian soldiers killed: 1,744-23,000

On April 30, Zelenskyy gave an estimate of 23,000 Russian soldiers killed in the conflict. A recent review of public reporting, including Russian government statements, found 1,744 disclosed deaths of Russian troops, including 317 officers. Russian officials, motivated to report fewer losses, had earlier claimed 1,351 troop losses. NATO estimated Russian troop losses at between 7,000 and 15,000. While the official Kremlin toll of Russian soldiers killed is roughly 10 times lower than NATO and Ukrainian estimates, spokesman Dimitry Peskov said there have been “significant losses of troops, and it’s a huge tragedy for us.” (updated April 27; source, source, source)

Russian generals killed: 8-10

Last week, the Defense Intelligence Agency reported that between eight and 10 Russian generals have been killed in Ukraine. Grid’s Tom Nagorski and Joshua Keating previously reported on the possible explanations for this “inconceivable” toll: poor communications and command-and-control structures within the Russian military. (updated May 11; source, source)

Total displaced Ukrainians: more than 14 million

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported 6.3 million fleeing the country. The International Organization for Migration’s latest survey of internally displaced Ukrainians found that the number had surpassed 8 million. (updated May 17; source, source)

Refugees from Ukraine: 6.3 million

Internally displaced Ukrainians: more than 8 million

An overview of the violence

Attacks on healthcare facilities: 210

Global food markets: Wheat prices increase 33 percent since invasion

Global food markets: Fertilizer prices increase 14 percent since invasion

Grid coverage this week

• Farming on the front lines: How Ukraine’s farmers are dodging bombs to feed the world (May 17)
• Black Sea hoteliers face evicting Ukrainian refugees or the prospect of financial ruin: ‘Our breaking point’ (May 12)
• Putin’s Finland nightmare — and what he might do about it (May 12)
• Is the Russian economy stabilizing — or doomed? Both. (May 12)

Learn more: Grid’s 360s on the Ukraine war

• 360: What led to Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II
• 360: Casualty of war in Ukraine: The global food supply
• 360: War in Ukraine: How we got here — and what may come next
• 360: Russia’s billionaires: Who they are, what they own — and can they influence Vladimir Putin?
• 360: Why danger still looms at Ukraine’s nuclear power plants