Activists estimated the losses of PMC "Wagner" in the battles for Palmyra

As a result of the fighting in Syria in 2017, at least a dozen fighters of the Russian private military company (PMC) Vagner died. This was reported in their review on March 22 by the activists of the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT); The document is at the disposal of Republic.

According to CIT, PMC fighters participated in two operations to free Palmyra from ISIS. As noted by the authors of the review, "a significant number of names have yet to be established."

“The deaths of Russian mercenaries are characterized by a very late notification of loved ones about loss (from two weeks or more), inaccuracy of death dates, and the delivery of bodies in sealed“ zinc ”asking them not to open them. In addition, the Russian Ministry of Defense never confirms their death, although it is often forced to confirm the death of military personnel (especially after the publications of journalists and investigators). The vast majority of the identified mercenaries previously participated in the hostilities in the Donbass, some were injured. Many of the Wagnerians had experience in special units and hot spots, ”the CIT materials indicated.

CIT called the names of Russian mercenaries who died in Syria: Alexey Ninodin, Roman Rudenko and Konstantin Zadorozhny (allegedly killed on January 31, 2017), Ivan Svushkin (died February 12), Vasily Yurlin (died February 20), Alexander Sagaidak (died at the end of February, the exact date is unknown).

On January 31, Yuri Sokalsky also died (until CIT found data about him in open sources) and another PMC fighter, whose name has not yet been established. According to preliminary data, in the battles for Palmyra, “Vagnerovtsy” Alexander Tychinin, Mikhail Nefedov and Dmitry Markelov also died.

In early March, the Ministry of Defense confirmed the death in the area of ​​Palmyra of the Russian soldier Artem Gorbunov. Then, regarding the death of Ivan Poyshkin, the ministry reported that "according to accounting data, <...> he really served in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, after which in 2013 he was dismissed in the prescribed manner in the reserve."

Thus, the Ministry of Defense admitted that during the operation in Syria 34 military were killed ( taking into account four military advisers on the road to Homs) and two nurses. How many Russian troops are in Syria in Syria are not officially reported.