Answer:
The statement that at least 20 million Russians died during World War II, both soldiers and civilians, is true.
However, the exact figures are disputed and vary depending on the sources and methods of calculation. Some estimates put the total number of Soviet casualties, including those who died from famine and disease, at over 27 million. The official figure of the Russian government is 26.6 million. The Soviet era figure was 20 million.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main causes of Soviet deaths in World War II were:
- The Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, which resulted in millions of military and civilian casualties due to fierce battles, massacres, atrocities, starvation and disease
- The brutal treatment of Soviet prisoners of war by the Germans, who deliberately starved, tortured and killed them in violation of international law
- The Holocaust, which targeted Soviet Jews and other persecuted groups for extermination by the Nazis and their collaborators
- The internal repression and purges by the Soviet regime, which executed or deported millions of people for political or ethnic reasons
- The famine and disease that affected many regions of the Soviet Union due to the disruption of agriculture, industry and infrastructure by the war
The Soviet Union suffered the highest number of casualties in World War II, accounting for more than half of the total deaths in the war.