Иллюстрация: Киберпартизаны.
The Cyber Partisans have published Rosstat data on the population of Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia between 2023 and 2025. According to the documents, the populations of Donetsk and Luhansk regions have declined significantly compared with pre-war figures.
Such statistics have not been officially maintained since 2022. However, internal Rosstat documents obtained by hackers in a breach contain expert estimates of population figures prepared by agency staff.
According to the published data, the population of Donetsk region was estimated at 2,892,900 as of January 1, 2025. By comparison, according to Ukraine’s State Statistics Service, 4,087,400 people lived in the region in 2021. This represents a decline of nearly 1.2 million people, or approximately 29%.
According to Rosstat’s internal estimates, the population of Donetsk region stood at 3,009,303 at the beginning of 2023 and 2,936,000 at the beginning of 2024.
In Donetsk itself, Russia’s estimates put the population at 564,200 at the beginning of 2025. Ukrainian statistics recorded 915,000 residents in the city in 2021. The difference is approximately 351,000 people, or 38%. The city’s population was estimated at 587,916 at the beginning of 2023 and 573,600 at the beginning of 2024.
According to the published documents, 1,654,700 people lived in Luhansk region as of January 1, 2025, compared with 2,116,700 in 2021. This is approximately 462,000 people, or 22%, below the pre-war figure. The population stood at 1,520,725 at the beginning of 2023 and 1,458,217 at the beginning of 2024.
In Luhansk, the population was estimated at 399,100 at the beginning of 2025, according to Russian figures. This is almost identical to the Ukrainian statistical figure for 2021, when 399,000 people lived in the city. At the same time, Rosstat estimated Luhansk’s population at 316,200 at the beginning of 2023 and 356,700 at the beginning of 2024.
The Cyber Partisans stress that these are expert estimates produced by Rosstat staff and may differ from the actual population figures. Their accuracy cannot be verified under current conditions.
The materials obtained contain data not only for Donetsk and Luhansk regions, but also for Kherson region and individual settlements. They also include population breakdowns by age and gender.