Over the past two weeks, the number of casualties among the mobilized Russians increased sharply. There are also many casualties in volunteer units – most of them are sent to the front after only a few days of training.
Since the first day of the war, the editorial staff of the Russian BBC, together with “Mediazona” and a group of volunteers, have kept a list of Russian war victims in Ukraine and since November 11, on the basis of public data, they have confirmed the names more than 8,712 soldiers and officers.
At least 163 of them were mobilized Russians who died in the war zone.
The data collected does not reflect the actual number of victims. The Russian editorial team of the BBC suggests that their list could contain at least 40-60% fewer names of the dead than those actually buried in Russia, according to data obtained after studying the situation in cemeteries in more than 60 settlements in Russia .
Hence, according to the most conservative estimate, the losses of the Russian army and Rosgvard in Ukraine can exceed 17,400 people.
The total number of Russia’s irreparable losses (ie the number of people who have been disabled by injury, death or missing in action) can be at least 78,300 people. This figure is derived from observations by the US Center for Naval Analysis, according to which for every Russian soldier killed during the war in Ukraine, there are approximately 3.5 wounded.
Separately, this figure does not include those who fought on the Russian side as part of the “people’s militias” in Donetsk and Luhansk.
Death of the mobilized
Over the past week, there have been many reports of heavy casualties among the military mobilized at the front. The BBC confirms the names of a total of 198 mobilized Russians, with 163 people found dead in Ukraine’s war zone. Another 35 died on Russian territory, most often from heart problems, accidents or alcohol abuse.
Until now, the names of 21 mobilized Russians who died before being sent to the frontand officials confirmed the deaths of 14 otherseven without naming them.
Actual losses among those who have been mobilized can be much higher, as many of the reports of soldiers who have died in Ukraine since October do not specify their status, so it is sometimes impossible to know if a person was serving under contract. a volunteer or has been mobilized.
Only in the last week we know more 72 mobilized Russians died front.
The reasons for the growing number of victims can be several. First of all, it is the poor coordination of the mobilized people. After Ukrainian forces received western high-altitude artillery, the Russian command was forced to move headquarters and other operational control points deep to the rear. This has a significant impact on the quality of troop management when the battlefield situation is constantly changing.
Secondly, some of the mobilized men were immediately sent to the b frontez no training and proper equipmentto fill the holes in the frontline.
Cemetery data
Since the start of the war, the BBC has investigated a total of more than 65 cemeteries from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok, and new graves have been discovered in cemeteries in Kaliningrad Oblast, Moscow Oblast and Tatarstan in the last month. Most all contain not only the graves of those whose deaths have been publicly reported, but an equal number (and sometimes more) tombstones of soldiers and officers whose deaths have not been reported by the authoritieslocal journalists or relatives on social networks.
For the first time since the beginning of the war Krasnodar region takes the first place in terms of confirmed victims – 365 dead. It is in second place Deghestan with 338 victims, followed by Buryatia with 332 victims. By comparison, only 29 people from Moscow died, although residents of the capital make up almost 9% of Russia’s population.
officers deaths are less and less publicly reported in Ukrainetherefore important sources of information are signs in schools, monuments in parks and military units, as well as tombstones in cemeteries.
According to confirmed data alone, more than 2,400 of the dead were elite professionals: soldiers and special forces officers, marines and military pilots. It takes years and millions of dollars to train them.
The special forces of the GRU and other elite units of the Russian army and Rosgvardia suffer significant losses during the war in Ukraine, as they were systematically used to perform tasks that were not theirs and had no training for them. For example, reconnaissance units are used to search and survey roads in captured settlements, and Rosgvardia is used for general combat and defensive operations.
Of the 8,712 identified Russian servicemen killed in Ukraine, 1,278 o 16% are officers. Among the dead four generals and 44 colonels. Judging by the eight-month data, junior officers have the largest share of casualties. They are killed several times more often than their subordinates.
Even before the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army was testing understaffed and experienced in many of its military units. According to experts, Russia entered the war with a surplus of military equipment and an acute shortage of trained personnel. As a result, during wartime, lieutenants and captains are forced to command soldiers into battle as sergeants, personally lead them into the attack or hold the defense with them, rather than directing combat actions through their subordinates. At the same time, many of the junior officers are still young and inexperienced, but they are already forced to decide how to achieve the goals set by the command.
The signs are already appearing serious discontent in the ranks of enlisted men and junior officers.
The BBC refers to what appeared in the public domain letter from the Marines of the 155th Brigadewhich states that 300 people (including dead, wounded and missing) were disabled in four days during “incomprehensible attack” on the village of Pavlovka in the Donetsk region. According to the military, the attack was only necessary to provide assistance senior commanders to rise to the general staff and receive orders.
Data by type of troops and mercenaries
By the ninth month of the war, the highest number of casualties – 18% – gives infantry.
In recent months, the number of victims among those Russian state media called volunteers, it has grown significantly. In most cases, these are people who voluntarily signed short-term contracts with the Ministry of Defense and Rosgvard after the start of the war.
But according to some human rights activists, at least in Chechnya, some people are forced to join “volunteer” units, threatening serious problems for their relatives if they refuse.
One of the reasons for the high number of human casualties among volunteers it is insufficient training. Hastily assembled units often undergo only 3 to 10 days of training before being sent to the front.
The percentage of dead paratroopers (they were very numerous in the first month of the invasion) gradually decreased, since now the main burden falls on motorized rifle units, since most of the mobilized and volunteers are also driven into infantry units). Another part of the burden falls on the parties of The private military companies, in particular the “Wagner”, among which there are also prisoners.
By 11 November, the BBC was able to confirm the names of 47 prisoners, who fought in the Russian paramilitary units. The Russian Sitting Foundation (proclaimed a foreign agent in Russia) estimates that the number of prisoners recruited for war has exceeded 20,000.
What is known about the losses of the DPR and LPR?
The total number of Russian casualties increases significantly if we include those who fought against Ukraine as part of the “people’s militias” in Donetsk and Luhansk.
As of November 11, the authorities of the self-proclaimed The DPR admits the death of 3,746 military personnel; the self-proclaimed LPR reported no fatalities, but according to public figures the death toll could exceed 1000 people.
Also, the BBC found more than 4,000 messages and posts in DNR and LNR groups on social networks of people looking for their male relatives, who were in the ranks of the “people’s militia” and lost contact with them. Some of those wanted in the first months of the war have already returned home as “cargo 200” – as the Russian editorial board called its investigation into war victims in Ukraine.
According to US estimatesif you count dead and wounded, Russia’s losses in Ukraine exceed 100,000 people. This figure is comparable to our assessment of Russia’s irreparable losses, the BBC also points out. The Ukrainian General Staff estimated Moscow’s losses at 77,000.
Russia’s Defense Ministry last reported casualties on 21 September, bringing the death toll to 5,937.
