According to open sources, at least 9,311 Russian servicemen have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war, Mediazona, BBC, and a team of volunteers report. The outlets have confirmed the identities of the aforementioned 9,311 soldiers.
Out of that number, 361 people were drafted under “partial mobilisation”. Thirty-six of the draftees died at military centres or units, never making it to the front.
During only last week, there were reports of 67 mobilised servicemen being killed, journalists say. The outlets, citing draftees they have contacted, report that the main cause of soldiers being killed is the chain of command being too long which leads to decisions not being made on time and poor preparation of mobilised men.
Due to Ukraine’s Armed Force possessing long-range precision weapons, the Russian command had to move decision-making centres far away from the front line — 70 or more kilometres away, journalists claim.
The article published by BBC states that at least 2,500 killed soldiers belonged to elite divisions, with millions of dollars spent on their training: soldiers and officers from special forces units, marines, and military pilots.
This information is current as of 25 November. It is pointed out that the number does not include people who fought as members of “people’s militias” of the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk “people’s republics” as well as those soldiers whose death was officially confirmed but whose name remains unknown.
As of now, the Donetsk “people’s republic” authorities have confirmed deaths of 3,846 servicemen. The Luhansk “people’s republic” does not publish data on its military losses.