vised ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 6 ▁by ▁Nik ita ▁K hr ush chev ▁with ▁a ▁round ▁number ▁of ▁ 2 0 ▁million . ▁In ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 8 0 s , ▁dem ograph ers ▁in ▁the ▁State ▁Statistics ▁Committee ▁( G os kom stat ) ▁took ▁another ▁look ▁using ▁dem ographic ▁methods ▁and ▁came ▁up ▁with ▁an ▁estimate ▁of ▁ 2 6 – 2 7 ▁million . ▁A ▁variety ▁of ▁other ▁estimates ▁have ▁been ▁made . ▁In ▁most ▁detailed ▁estimates ▁roughly ▁two - third s ▁of ▁the ▁estimated ▁death s ▁were ▁civil ian ▁losses . ▁However , ▁the ▁break down ▁of ▁war ▁losses ▁by ▁national ity ▁is ▁less ▁well ▁known . ▁One ▁study , ▁re lying ▁on ▁indirect ▁evidence ▁from ▁the ▁ 1 9 5 9 ▁population ▁census , ▁found ▁that ▁while ▁in ▁terms ▁of ▁the ▁aggregate ▁human ▁losses ▁the ▁major ▁S lav ic ▁groups ▁suffered ▁most , ▁the ▁largest ▁losses ▁relative ▁to ▁population ▁size ▁were ▁in cur red ▁by ▁minor ity ▁national ities ▁mainly ▁from ▁European ▁Russia , ▁among ▁groups ▁from ▁which ▁men ▁were ▁must ered ▁to ▁the ▁front ▁in ▁" n ational ity ▁batt al ions " ▁and ▁appear ▁to ▁have ▁suffered ▁dis pro port ion ately . ▁ ▁After ▁the ▁war , ▁the ▁Soviet ▁Union ▁occupied ▁and ▁domin ated ▁Eastern ▁Europe , ▁in ▁line ▁with ▁their ▁particular ▁Marx ist ▁ide ology . ▁ ▁St alin ▁was ▁determined ▁to ▁pun ish ▁those ▁pe op les ▁he ▁saw ▁as ▁collabor ating ▁with ▁Germany ▁during ▁the ▁war ▁and ▁to ▁deal