Latest news with #Mediazona
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Over 110,000 Russian soldiers killed in war identified, most from poor regions in Siberia
Journalists working with volunteers have identified more than 110,000 Russians who have been killed in the war against Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion. The data shows an extremely uneven distribution of losses across Russian regions: men from Tyva or Altai are 30-40 times more likely to be killed in the war than residents of Moscow. Source: BBC in collaboration with Russian news outlet Mediazona Details: The journalists' research reveals that the highest number of deaths was recorded in Tyva (120), Buryatia (91) and the Altai Republic (89) per 10,000 male population. In Moscow, this figure is only 3 deaths per 10,000 men. It is reported that in Tyva, almost a quarter of those killed were convicts recruited into private military companies or the army, and another third were career military personnel. In Altai, 47% of those killed were volunteer soldiers who signed up after 2022. In Buryatia, 25% of those killed are professional soldiers, 34% are volunteers, and one in five are conscripts, which is twice the national average. In Moscow, 10% of those killed are convicts, 26% are volunteers, 15% are conscripts, and 20% are career military personnel. Demographers say the regional differences in the level of losses are linked to socio-economic factors. In the poorest regions, the army acts as a social ladder, compensating for the lack of opportunities in education and the labour market. In Moscow, a military career is less popular. At the beginning of the full-scale war, regions with large military units, such as Krasnodar, Pskov, Dagestan and Buryatia, suffered significant losses Stock photo: ВВС Subsequently, most of the mobilised troops were recruited from subsidised regions dependent on the federal budget. "People from regions where life expectancy is already low and the probability of dying from external causes is already high were more willing to participate in the war. Such people are driven not so much by poverty as by a lack of prospects and a feeling that they have nothing to lose," the article says. The researchers also note that the losses in Tyva and Buryatia significantly exceed similar figures in other national republics – for example, in Dagestan, Ingushetia, Tatarstan, and Bashkortostan, they are two or three times lower. According to the demographers, this indicates that social inequality, rather than ethnic factors, plays a key role. "If sending national minorities to the front were a deliberate policy of the Kremlin, we would see high levels of losses among all national republics. But this is not the case. In Dagestan, Ingushetia, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, the level of losses is two to three times lower than in Buryatia and Tyva. So, the correlation must be sought elsewhere," a demographer said. In addition, journalists explain that the actual number of deaths significantly exceeds the data from open sources. Based on an analysis of obituaries, reports from relatives, photographs of burials and publications in local media, it has been established that open sources allow only 45% to 65% of the dead to be identified. This is due to the fact that some bodies remain on the battlefield, and their evacuation is complicated by the danger of drone strikes or the unwillingness to risk the lives of other soldiers. Taking this assessment into account, the actual number of Russian casualties could be between 170,000 and 246,000. However, if we add to this the losses among the militants of the so-called "Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics" [self-proclaimed and non-recognised quasi-state formations in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts respectively, backed by Russia – ed.] – which, according to the publication's estimates, range from 21,000 to 23,500 dead – the total number of deaths on the pro-Russian side could be between 191,000 and 269,000. Journalists note that they use open sources to count the dead, including reports from regional leaders, local administrations, media publications, posts by relatives and photos from funerals. Reports from official or independent sources, posts by relatives or other publications containing photos of the burial site are considered confirmation of death. The basic count does not include losses of the so-called "DPR" and "LPR", but researchers include Russians who voluntarily joined their units in the total list. Background: In January, BBC journalists, in collaboration with Mediazona, reported that they had identified 90,019 Russians who had been killed in the war against Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began. Twenty-three per cent of them had signed up after the start of hostilities. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Russia ordered 307,900 death certificates for soldiers' families since 2022, media reports
Russia's Ministry of Labor and Social Protection has ordered more than 307,900 death certificates for families of soldiers killed since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, independent Russian outlet Verstka reported on May 27, citing official procurement data. While such documents were issued before the war, Verstka noted that the scale of current purchases far exceeds pre-invasion levels. Before 2022, the number of certificates for deceased soldiers' relatives had consistently declined. The records do not distinguish between service in Ukraine and other conflicts, though the spike in procurement coincides with Russia's massive losses in the war. Russia does not release official casualty numbers, but independent estimates indicate significant losses. So far this year, the ministry has ordered 357,700 certificates — 317,500 for veterans and 40,200 for the families of fallen soldiers or those who died from war-related injuries. According to the figures, the orders span the period from 2022 to 2025, with the largest volume placed in 2023, over 250,000 certificates for families of deceased servicemen and more than 800,000 for combat veterans. The procurement numbers dropped sharply in 2024 before surging again in 2025. Russian media outlet Mediazona, in partnership with the BBC's Russian service, has verified the identities of 109,625 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine, relying on open-source material such as obituaries, social media posts, and local news reports. The investigators caution that the real death toll is much higher. Ukraine's military places the number of Russian personnel killed or seriously wounded since the invasion at 982,840 as of May 27. These figures include not only fatalities but also troops permanently removed from combat due to injury. Read also: Sanctions on Russia are working, Ukraine just needs more We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Qatar Tribune
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Trump criticism down to emotional overload: Kremlin
dpa Moscow/Kiev The Kremlin suggested on Monday that US President Donald Trump's harsh criticism of President Vladimir Putin is down to 'emotional overload,' amid uncertainty over the status of negotiations to try and end the war in Ukraine. The prospect of negotiations is 'connected, of course, with emotional overload of absolutely everyone and with emotional reactions,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by the Russian state news agency TASS. He rejected Trump's criticism of the mass bombardment of Ukraine over the past three nights, arguing that Putin was 'making the decisions that are necessary to ensure the security of our country.' The intensive attacks on Ukraine prompted Trump to tell reporters on Sunday that he was 'not happy with what Putin is doing.' 'We're in the middle of talking and he's shooting rockets into Kiev and other cities. I don't like it at all. And I'm surprised. I'm very surprised.' He followed up his comments with a post on his social media platform Truth Social. 'I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!' Trump wrote. On Monday, the opposition Russian portal Mediazona noted that the later statements by Trump were either not quoted or were abridged by state and state-affiliated media in Russia. Trump's critical words about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were reproduced in detail, however. 'Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don't like it, and it better stop. This is a War that would never have started if I were President,' Trump wrote about Zelensky. Peskov said on Monday that the time and venue for further talks with Ukraine had not yet been decided. A memorandum in which Moscow intends to present its view on a possible conflict resolution has also not yet been handed over to the Ukrainians. A week ago, Trump talked directly to both leaders, and announced afterwards that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine would take place 'immediately.' These never transpired, however. Representatives from the two sides held talks in Istanbul in mid-May, with no results apart from an exchange of prisoners. Meanwhile, Ukraine said on Monday that Russia had attacked the country with a record number of drones overnight. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Moscow deployed 355 drones and drone dummies as well as nine X-101 cruise missiles. An air raid alert covered the whole country. Zelensky described it as 'the largest number of drones against our cities and communities since the beginning of the full-scale war' over three years ago. The 'third consecutive night of combined Russian terror ... Putin shows just how much he despises the world - the world that spends more effort on 'dialogue' with him than on real pressure,' he wrote on X. 'The increase in Russian strikes should be met with increased sanctions,' he added. The military's figures cannot be verified in detail. All nine cruise missiles were shot down and 288 drones were destroyed, the air force said. Two people were injured in the Zaporizhzhya region, according to the local military governor Ivan Fedorov. According to the air force, Russian drones attacked the port city of Odessa from the Black Sea. In the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, military governor Oleh Syniehubov said on Telegram that a series of powerful explosions were heard. Authorities elsewhere confirmed damage had been caused in several other parts of the country. It was widely reported that one target was the Starokostiantyniv military airbase in western Ukraine. The Russian Defence Ministry wrote on Telegram that it had shot down 128 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory by late Monday morning. Operations at several airports in Russia were temporarily restricted for security reasons. Moscow launched a massive attack on its neighbour over the weekend using drones, missiles and cruise missiles, killing more than a dozen people.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kremlin says Trump criticism down to 'emotional overload'
The Kremlin suggested on Monday that US President Donald Trump's harsh criticism of President Vladimir Putin is down to "emotional overload," amid uncertainty over the status of negotiations to try and end the war in Ukraine. The prospect of negotiations is "connected, of course, with emotional overload of absolutely everyone and with emotional reactions," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by the Russian state news agency TASS. He rejected Trump's criticism of the mass bombardment of Ukraine over the past three nights, arguing that Putin was "making the decisions that are necessary to ensure the security of our country." The intensive attacks on Ukraine prompted Trump to tell reporters on Sunday that he was "not happy with what Putin is doing." "We're in the middle of talking and he's shooting rockets into Kiev and other cities. I don't like it at all. And I'm surprised. I'm very surprised." He followed up his comments with a post on his social media platform Truth Social. "I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!" Trump wrote. On Monday, the opposition Russian portal Mediazona noted that the later statements by Trump were either not quoted or were abridged by state and state-affiliated media in Russia. Trump's critical words about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were reproduced in detail, however. "Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don't like it, and it better stop. This is a War that would never have started if I were President," Trump wrote about Zelensky. Peskov said on Monday that the time and venue for further talks with Ukraine had not yet been decided.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Over 109,600 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine identified by media investigation
Russian independent media outlet Mediazona, in collaboration with the BBC Russian service, has confirmed the identities of 109,625 Russian military personnel killed in Ukraine. The publications' latest report covers the period of February 24, 2022 to May 23, 2025. Since it was last updated at the beginning of May, at least 2,009 Russian soldiers have been confirmed killed. The journalists note that the actual figures are likely significantly higher, as their verified information comes from public sources such as obituaries, posts by relatives, memorial community tree-plantings, regional media reports, statements from local authorities, among other sources. The outlet published the complete list of identified casualties for the first time in February, marking three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the publication, volunteers manually enter and verify each record to prevent duplicate entries in the database. The confirmed death toll now includes 27,000 volunteers, 17,200 recruited prisoners, and over 12,000 mobilized soldiers, according to the media outlets. Over 5,000 officers have also been confirmed to have been killed. Russian troops have recently intensity their offensive in Donetsk Oblast, increasingly pressuring a relatively large Ukrainian pocket between some of the last cities in the region. Russia has held the initiative on the battlefield in the Donetsk Oblast since the fall of 2023, after Ukraine's failed summer counteroffensive. Read also: Russia pushes forward in Donetsk Oblast, threatening Ukrainian pocket around Toretsk We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
