In Chernivtsi and other areas of Ukraine near the border with Moldova and Romania, there was, before the war, a community of nearly 180,000 people of Romanian origin, of whom over 65,000 consider themselves more closely related to the population of Moldova.
As part of its campaign to provide accurate information about Romania’s involvement in the war in Ukraine, PRESSHub analyzed the number of deaths and the involvement of Ukrainian soldiers from the Romanian community in the country.
In this new article from the series The Truth About Romania’s Involvement in the War in Ukraine, PRESSHub aims to present the facts about the enlistment of Ukrainian soldiers of Romanian origin from Chernivtsi, as well as an estimate of possible deaths.
In recent months, Russia, as well as leaders of certain parties presenting themselves as nationalist, have claimed that Romanians from Chernivtsi are being recruited en masse or are part of a mercenary army fighting for Ukraine, which the Russian army allegedly decimated by nearly 350 people.
Based on data documented by PRESSHub from official communications of the Ukrainian Army, the Romanian community in Chernivtsi, the publication BucPress, and other independent reports, it appears that at least 140 Ukrainians of Romanian origin, mainly from the Bukovina region, have died since the beginning of the war.
This figure includes 140 individuals identified by PRESSHub either from posts by Ukrainian authorities or articles in BucPress, plus the only verified data provided by the Romanian Consulate in Chernivtsi at the beginning of May 2022.
Confirmed number: at least 140 deaths
Ileana Stănculescu, Romania’s consul in Chernivtsi, knew at the beginning of May 2022, just over two months after the start of the Russian invasion, that 15 soldiers of Romanian origin had died.
„Unfortunately, many ethnic Romanians have died on the front in the Chernivtsi region; I believe around 15 deaths. We express our condolences to their families,” she told Radio Romania Actualități.
Now, after 42 months of war, Ileana Stănculescu says she has not kept count. „I cannot estimate a number. There are very many, very many; I don’t know what to tell you. Many people have died in this war, including from the Chernivtsi area,” she told us.
PRESSHub was nevertheless able to carry out its own monitoring based on open sources, primarily articles published by BucPress, a news agency from Ukrainian Bukovina financially supported by the Romanian Department for Romanians Abroad.
According to this monitoring, 125 soldiers with Romanian names have died in the war against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The names of these 125 soldiers of Romanian origin are provided at the end of the article.
No official statistics
Regarding the number of deaths on the Ukrainian front, PRESSHub cannot provide any other official figures beyond its own monitoring.
This is because there are no official statistics and representatives of the Romanian Consulate in Chernivtsi have not been interested in conducting such an analysis. In addition, the Ukrainian Army does not provide data on casualties on the front.
„We don’t have such data, nor can I make estimates. The data is held by the mayors of the communities. There are 17 communities, communes in Ukraine, with a significant Romanian population. I did not request the data, but probably the mayors have it,” Ileana Stănculescu, the Romanian consul in Chernivtsi, told us.
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Fake news
In the Romanian Chamber of Deputies, Petru-Gabriel Negrea (AUR) delivered a statement in June 2025 titled “Persecution does not cease – Romanians in Chernivtsi, protected through prayer and state silence.”
Negrea criticized alleged aggression by Ukrainian authorities against the Romanian community in Chernivtsi, claiming that authorities protected those who violently occupied a church (“Holy Spirit Cathedral”). He called for a response from the Romanian state, the summoning of the Ukrainian ambassador to Bucharest, and monitoring of the rights of Romanians in Ukraine.
The Russian Embassy (based on data from the Russian Ministry of Defense) claimed as early as March 2024 that 784 Romanian “mercenaries” fought in Ukraine, of whom 349 had allegedly been killed by March 24, 2024.
These reports also included Ukrainians of Romanian origin.
According to these figures, Romania would rank sixth in the world for the number of volunteers fighting in Ukraine, based on the same figures reported by Russia. Poland would be first, with 2,960 volunteers sent to Ukraine, of whom 1,497 were killed. Second would be the USA, with 1,113 soldiers sent, of whom 491 were killed.
The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially rejected these figures, stating that they are part of a disinformation campaign and warning that such “announcements are part of the arsenal of hybrid warfare.”
„The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds that the Russian side continues to promote information that, in essence, is part of the arsenal of hybrid warfare and disinformation campaigns aimed against EU and NATO member states, including Romania,” said an MFA statement at the time.
First, how soldiers of Romanian origin are enlisted
“Maria” has a brother on the front and helped us understand the reality of Ukrainian Romanians at the front and how they are enlisted. She asked that we not publish her real name, saying, “I don’t want an extra reason to worry if someone sees the article and misunderstands what I said.”
„The Romanian community in Chernivtsi was not very united before the war; somehow we became closer after February 2022. My brother received his conscription order in 2023 and left voluntarily. He saw it as a duty. He could have fled or tried to avoid it, but he chose differently. It’s not pleasant to go to war with Russia, which places no value on the lives of its own soldiers, let alone Ukrainians,” she told us.
When asked if Romanians in the Chernivtsi community are recruited more often than other Ukrainians, her answer was firm:
„No, absolutely not. The rules are clear for everyone. But yes, nobody wants to go to the front. Young men, whether of Romanian origin or 100% Ukrainian origin, try to avoid conscription. That’s the truth and it must be understood. The rules are the same, but all men try to avoid the front,” she explained.
Ileana Stănculescu, Romania’s consul in Chernivtsi, also confirms that there is no differential treatment.
What the Ukrainian press says
A recent article in Kyiv Independent, published in June, shows that the situation in Chernivtsi is not a “persecution” of Romanians. However, the local population, as elsewhere in the country, experiences fear due to Ukraine’s general mobilization.
Recruitment is applied uniformly, but in the Romanian community its impact is perceived more severely because the population is small and concentrated, so losses are felt more acutely. Families and local leaders have reported pressure, compounded by historical distrust of Kyiv and ties with Romania.
Radu Hossu is one of the Romanians who has come to know Ukraine best since the start of the 2022 invasion. He went to the front both as a volunteer for humanitarian actions and, more importantly, as a military blogger and war correspondent.
„This is the story about Romanians from Chernivtsi being forced, as if Ukrainians are unaware of forcing anyone to do anything special. No, especially in regions like Chernivtsi, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Zakarpattia, mobilization has been much softer than in other regions, such as central Ukraine,” he told us.
„I know Russian propaganda wants to create the image that Ukraine discriminates against Romanians, but the reality is that Russia only tries, through our extremists and corruption within Romanian communities, to spread false narratives that are not only untrue but also harm the Romanians in those communities who are not ‘representatives’ and have no influence,” he added.
125 deaths monitored by PRESSHub
Chronological list of deaths
August 2025
Mihai Grin (41) – Slatina (Solotvino)
Petru Nivnea – Erdek-Burnu (Utkonosivka), Odesa (where there were two more deaths whose names were not identified)
Mihai Reba (21) – Hlibocioc (Camenca, Chernivtsi)
July 2025
Maria Ciurikova – medical staff
Vladislav Trepko – medical staff
Serghii Bodnar – medical staff
Costiantin Pepelea – Chernivtsi, fell at Pokrovsk
Ian Lupoi – Dinăuți, Chernivtsi
Pavlo Melniciuc – Ispas, Chernivtsi
Mîkola Hunceak – junior sergeant (A38140)
May 2025
Victor Accebaș – Ismail, Odesa
Felix Matveev – Chernivtsi
Dmitro Tudan – Chernivtsi
April 2025
- Grigori Malîș – Chernivtsi
- Ion Stan (1987) – Topcino
March 2025
- Gheorghe Ion Cobaschi (43) – Mihoreni/Buda Mare
- Constantin Melniuciuc – Tărășeni
February 2025
- Vasile Pintilei (41) – Ceasiv Iar, Donetsk
December 2024
- Denis Bohdan (“Kraken”) – Chernivtsi
- Pavlo Maruseak (44) – Koniatin
November 2024
- Bogdan Boiko – Migovo
October 2024
- Dmitro Petrașciuc – Rarancea
- Denis Mikiciuk – unit A0998
September 2024
- Andrei Calanju – Horecea, Chernivtsi
- Dumitru Savastru – Erdek-Burnu, Odesa
- Oleksandr Haramîta – Chernivtsi
July 2024
- Bohdan Nîjnik – Chernivtsi
- Alexandru Popiuc (23) – Costinți
- Ilie Cuciurean (1993) – Horbova
- Mihai Sidor – Voloca, Chernivtsi
- Ruslan Scalat – Chernivtsi
June 2024
- Marin Lopașciuk – Zelenîi Gai, Chernivtsi
- Iurii Bujor – Chernivtsi
- Taras Boiciuk – Chernivtsi
- Andrii Stroguș – Chernivtsi
May 2024
- Dmitro Lupu – Camenca
- Andrei Prisneac (1994) – Răchitna, Noua Suliță
April 2024
- Vasile Glinschi – Herța
- Ilie Hajiu (1996) – Dranița, Mămăliga
February 2024
- Ruslan Prus (40) – Novodnistrovsk
- Vasile Repciuc (21) – Ceahor, Chernivtsi
- Vasile Chiriliuc – Dinăuți, Noua Suliță
- Gheorghe Verega (1989) – Ostrița, Herța
- Sergiu Ilii (31) – Godinești
January 2024
Mihai Andronic – Herța
Valentin Andronic – Lucovița Moldovenească
Gheorghe Ștefaniuc – Roșa, Chernivtsi
Ion Buliga – Culiceni, Herța
Dumitru Muraru (1989) – Ostrița
Dumitru I. Cernei (1976) – Buda, Mahala
December 2023
- Valeriu Moroșan – Ostrița, Herța
- Ilie Chiriliuc – Prisăcăreni, Suceveni
November 2023
- Ion Grudei – Boian
October 2023
- Oleg Stolearciuc – Ceahor
- Oleg Grișca – Tărăsăuți/Vășcăuți
September 2023
- Igor Goncear – Chelmenți
- Eugen Bezușca (42) – Marșenița
- Denis Macovei (30) – Secureni
- Mîkola Tonievici – Seleatin
- Serhii Neaico – Chernivtsi
- Oleg Semeniuc – Chernivtsi
- Vitalii Gordeiciuc – Chernivtsi
- Gheorghe Sârbu – Chernivtsi
August 2023
- Oleksandr Kucereavîi – Chernivtsi
- Dmîtro Delei – Chernivtsi
- Anatolii Vaipan – Migovo
- Vasile Malik – unit A2582
- Vladislav Covalciuc – Chernivtsi
July 2023
- Ion Vacaru – Herța
- Victor Timofiiciuc
June 2023
- Petru Fanar – Priprupia
May 2023
- Oleksii Kostiuk – Bahmut
- Mîkola Gorgan (46) – Ivanivske
- Marcel Guțcal – Dinăuți, Noua Suliță
- Gheorghe Nistrean – Tărăsăuți
- Ion Varvarici – Chernivtsi
- Alexei Arseni – Marșenița
April 2023
- Corneliu Toporeț – Nesvoia, Mămăliga
- Vladimir Hanu – Priozerne, Ismail
- Ion Rotari (1995–2023) – Costiceni
March 2023
- Nicolae Ionuță – Cerepcăuți
- Timofei Șadura – Bahmut
- Serghii Țurcan – Novodnistrovsk
- Bogdan Pulberg – Noua Suliță
February 2023
- Ion Alupoi (1969–2023) – Bahmut
- Ilie Rusu – Hliboca
- Ion Ovaciuc – Hliboca
- Maxim Patraș – Hliboca
- Palamariuk Constantin Dmîtrovici – Beregomet
- Ion Filip Alupoi – Costiceni
January 2023
- Ghenadie Nuca – Tărăsăuți
- Valentin Motriuk – unit A7187
- Todor Schipor – Cupca
- Sebastian Acostachioaie (20) – Culiceni
- Artur Golodrâga – Lujeni
- Dumitru Istrati – Dinăuți, Noua Suliță
- Nicolaevici Ștefan – Prisăcăreni, Suceveni
- Vasile Catan – unit A3029
- Oleg Nivreanski – unit A3029
- Roman Homandeak – unit 2195
December 2022
- Teodor Vasile Andrieș (43) – Herța
- Alexei Anichitoi – Tărăsăuți
- Victor Ursul – Secureni
- Valentin Ciupak – Noua Suliță
November 2022
- Viorel Romaniuc – Boian
- Ilie Mihai Diacon – Camenca
- Eduard Samsonovici – Kițmani
- Kocergan Bogdan – unit A0409
- Pavel Calancea (23) – Ostrița
October 2022
- Ion Golodrâga – Valea Cosminului
- Vadim Golinatii – Chernivtsi
- Mihai Zaiț – Hreațca, Herța
- Pavel Diavoliuc (36) – Horbova
September 2022
- Zolotîi Volodimir – Chernivtsi
August 2022
- Ignatescu Ruslan-Dimitrie / Ignatesco Dumitru – Berestea
- Nicolae Filip Budei (37) – Volcinețul Vechi, Camenca
June 2022
- Dumitru Cojocaru – Molnița, Herța
- Andrei Rusu – Dranița, Mămăliga
- Andrei Steopenco – Culiceni, Herța
- Ion Fartușceac (2000) – Horbova, Ostrița
- Ivan Ungurean – Șișcăuți, Secureni
- Vasil Herici – Perecin
- Denis Moraraș (33) – Roșa Stânca, Chernivtsi
May 2022
- Ion Zaiț – Horbova, Herța
The Romanian community in Ukraine: 0.5% of the population
However, beyond these opinions, PRESSHub also aimed to verify the actual figures regarding the involvement of the Romanian community in the war, and for this, we attempted to analyze the number of deaths.
We recall that Romanian authorities have not conducted an analysis or maintained records of deaths among the Romanian community in Ukraine, which has allowed the emergence of reports about forced enlistments or claims of hundreds or even thousands of victims.
Together, the Romanian/Moldovan group did not exceed 200,000 people before the war, which is roughly 0.5% of Ukraine’s total population of 43 million. If we look at official data from 2001, the last census in Ukraine, the population of Romanian origin was 400,000.
Pessimistic estimate: between 360 and 739
The UALosses project documented 73,920 deaths of Ukrainian soldiers nationwide (including non-combat causes) up to August 7, 2025.
Since the population of Romanian origin did not represent more than 0.5% of Ukraine’s population before the war, the number of deaths, if proportional, should be between 360 and 739.
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