Based on open sources, the British public service broadcaster BBC News in Russian together with the publication Mediazona (recognized as a “foreign agent” in Russia) and a team of volunteers have identified the names of at least 3,755 Russian soldiers killed in repelling a counterattack by the Ukrainian armed forces.
Among them are more than 370 officers, including 2 generals and 32 persons with the rank of lieutenant colonel or colonel.
Minimum loss assessment
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The number of soldiers killed in repelling the Ukrainian counteroffensive, determined by the BBC, is the lowest estimate of Russian losses.
This number included only those whose obituaries specified certain circumstances of death, or those whose dates of death coincided with the dates of the counterattack.
The actual number of losses is certainly higher than the established figures, according to a publication published on the website of the BBC News Service in Russian.
For example, between June and the end of October, the team was able to confirm the deaths of 6,675 Russian soldiers; but not all of them have an exact date of death.
In such cases, the position has been to take the date of publication of the death notice as the earliest known moment when the person was truly considered dead.
In total, since the end of February 2022, researchers have managed to determine the names of 36,325 Russian soldiers who died during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to the BBC, most military experts agree that part of the largest-scale Ukrainian counteroffensive can be considered complete.
The advance of the Ukrainian armed forces in the main direction of the offensive – in the Zaporizhzhia region – practically stopped (except for local advances at several points of the front line).
The research team tried to analyze what losses the Russian side suffered while resisting this Ukrainian advance.
It is indicated that only those data that can be found and verified using open sources are published: messages from officials and the media, publications of close relatives of the deceased on social networks, and information from cemeteries.
According to Valery Zaluzhno, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Ukraine managed to advance 17 kilometers into the territories previously occupied by Russian forces.
Reuters/Scanpix/Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Armed Forces Commander Valery Zaluzhny and National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov
Consequently, in most areas, Moscow managed to maintain the positions taken last year.
One of the important reasons for the success of Russia’s defensive actions is called air superiority. But this dominance is not easy.
According to the website of the Russian-language BBC News Service, the Russian side lost at least 7 military pilots in repelling the attack, including Colonel Vitaly Tabachnikov, flying a Ka-52 helicopter, and Major Grigoriy Azanov.
This figure does not include another 13 military pilots killed in the confrontation between the Russian army and the Wagner on Russian territory at the end of June.
Photo of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army/Destroyed Russian military equipment
In total, Russia has lost at least 197 military pilots since the start of the war.
These are specialists, each of whom is trained for at least 6 years and costs more than 3 million. US dollars.
More than 370 officers were lost
A publication by the BBC’s Russian-language news service points out that in order to effectively counter the Ukrainian counterattack, senior officers were again more likely to be in the front line or close to the front line.
From June to the end of October, the Russian side lost more than 370 officers. Among them are 2 generals and 32 people with the rank of lieutenant colonel or higher.
The last time there were such high losses of high-ranking Russian officers only in the first months of the invasion of Ukraine.
Imago / Scanpix photo / Russian soldiers
It should be noted that Moscow managed to win the time needed to train new junior officers – both those who have just graduated from military universities and mobilized specialists. They were able to ensure the necessary consistency and interaction between different departments.
Judging from the published obituaries, the largest losses during the Ukrainian counterattack were suffered by the mobilized (939 confirmed dead) and volunteer (668 dead) units of the Russian army.
In addition, many of the men who recently signed contracts – as in the first years of the war – are sent to the front as soon as possible, according to the BBC.
For example, Nikolay Popov from the village of Verch-Chumanka in the Altai Territory signed a contract in September, and died on October 12.
Judging by the testimonies at the front, the units made up of prisoners (they are now being recruited by the Russian Ministry of Defense) also suffered heavy losses.
The BBC, Mediazonos and a team of volunteers managed to confirm that 6,836 prisoners died at the front, of which at least 280 people were killed in the Ukrainian counter-attack. The actual losses in this category are many times higher.
It is noted that it is difficult to determine the status of some of the dead, as official reports refer to them as “volunteers” or “ordinary” and data are also not always available in open sources.
Photo of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army/Detained Russian soldiers
There are more and more reports in which the relatives of convicts who went to war report that they cannot take the bodies of the dead.
Despite the fact that the death is confirmed by several colleagues, until the remains of the deceased can be removed from the battlefield, people are formally considered missing for months.
Losses of elite units are increasing
In total, the BBC’s Russian-language news service, Mediazona and volunteers managed to identify 36,325 Russian soldiers who died during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Recently, the loss of professional soldiers, that is, those who served before the war began, has increased.
After heavy losses in the first months of the war, their units began to become less involved in offensive operations in an attempt to retain the remaining specialists.
IMAGO/Scanpix/Russian soldiers
However, current war conditions – namely positional resistance using additional technical means, the need to constantly coordinate artillery strikes, air defense and radio electronic warfare systems – require the participation of well-trained specialists who are able to make quick decisions in stressful situations.
As the BBC points out, this is precisely why the importance of units made up of prisoners is now declining. And at the same time, the losses of elite units and mobilized units, many of which spent more than six months at the front and gained significant experience, are growing.
The level of losses in the volunteer category remains stable (all those who entered into contracts with the army and the Russian National Guard after February 24, 2022 are included).
Now it is precisely by constantly attracting volunteers that the Russian authorities are trying to maintain the potential of the country’s forces.
Photo of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine/War in Ukraine
“In general, we believe that our list may contain at least twice as many dead as are actually buried in Russia.” We came to this conclusion after systematically studying the situation in the cemeteries of 70 Russian settlements over the past 18 months.
Therefore, by the most conservative estimate, Russia could have lost 72,650 people who died by the beginning of November. This number does not include those who fought against Ukraine as part of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics,” the article, which is published on the Russian-language website of the BBC News Service, states.
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2024-09-18 12:34:22
– What factors contributed to the high number of Russian soldier losses during the Ukrainian counterattack?
Breaking: BBC News Uncovers Devastating Russian Losses in Ukrainian Counterattack
In a stunning revelation, the BBC News in Russian, in collaboration with Mediazona, has identified the names of at least 3,755 Russian soldiers killed in repelling a counterattack by the Ukrainian armed forces. This staggering figure is the lowest estimate of Russian losses, with the actual number likely to be much higher.
Minimum Loss Assessment
The number of soldiers killed in repelling the Ukrainian counteroffensive, determined