BBC confirmed the death of 10 special forces from Smolensk in Ukraine

At least 10 employees of the elite detachment of the Rosgvardi special forces "Mercury" from Smolensk died during hostilities in Ukraine, the BBC found out .

The publication was discovered by a video published on July 28 by the veteran organization “Brotherhood of the Krape Berets-Penza”, which shows a memorial corner in the location of the 26 detachment of the Mercury special forces. On the table are photos of 18 special forces with black memorial ribbons.

The day before, Ukrainian journalists reported the artillery arrangement of Mercury in the Kharkov region. It was reported that the detachment suffered losses.

The publication compared these photographs with data in open sources and confirmed the names of 10 dead special forces, including Major Viktor Sumyushkin, senior warrant officer Alexander Vishnyakov, ensign Pavel Stepanenko, Sergeant Maxim Tregubenko, corporal Yaroslav Simakov and others. Some of them died in May at once, but several people died on one day - July 19, 2022.

The lieutenant Nikita Zvirenko was reported in the publications that he was in the service of the special forces of the Russian Guard, but did not specify in which city. His photo and date of birth coincide with the published image of the deceased officer. Together with Zvirenko, the senior lieutenant of the same unit Anatoly Yezhov died, journalists write.

Photos of eight of 18 BBC special forces have not yet been identified.