BBC Russian Service and Mediazona identify 6,204 Russian servicemen killed in war with Ukraine

Media outlets BBC Russian Service and Mediazona, together with open source data volunteers, have identified 6,204 Russian soldiers that had been killed in the war with Ukraine, reports BBC.

Journalists and volunteers have been keeping a list of the number of killed servicemen since the start of the invasion of Ukraine. The data is based on public statements, containing detailed information about the killed soldiers, including full name, rank, and if possible, the burial location.

“Based on funeral dates and inscriptions on gravestones, the killed are taken to Russia and buried during the period of 14-20 days after death, on average. However, in July and August, there was a high number of people buried three, sometimes even four, months after their death,” BBC reports.

In the last two weeks, the journalists learned about new graves in the Kaliningrad and Krasnodar regions as well as in Vladivostok, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and the village Vybuty.

The highest numbers of killed soldiers come from Dagestan (278 people), Buryatia (256 people), and the Krasnodar region (227 people).

“Out of 6,024 identified Russian servicemen killed in Ukraine, 1,025 people — 17% — were officers, including four generals and 35 colonels,” the investigation notes.

The biggest losses were suffered by the infantry — “as of 2 September, 20% of all identified killed soldiers served in mechanised infantry divisions,” while 17% served in Airborne Troops.

Furthermore, currently there is confirmed information about the death of at least four convicts that fought among the ranks of Russian armed groups.

Earlier, BBC Russian Service reported that over 900 Russian elite soldiers had been killed since the start of the war in Ukraine.

The journalists identified 337 Naval Infantry soldiers, 245 servicemen of Russia's National Guard, 151 GRU Spetsnaz fighters, 144 members of Airborne Troops, 67 military pilots, and 20 employees of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and Federal Protective Service (FSO).

The main reason for deaths among the elite specialists was them having to complete infantry tasks they were not trained for.