Over 20,000 soldiers from the Volga regions of Russia have been killed in the war in Ukraine

2024-10-02 18:07:27, Kosova & Bota CNA

Over 20,000 soldiers from the Volga regions of Russia have been killed in the

More than 20,000 soldiers from Russia's Povolzhei - territories that make up several regions around the Volga River - have been killed in Ukraine since Moscow launched a full-scale occupation of the neighboring country in 2022, according to estimates by the Radio Free Europe website. Idel. Realities.

Data from Idel.Realities shows that Bashkortostan has the highest number of killed, about over 3,000 soldiers, followed by Tatarstan with 2,724 soldiers and Perm Krai with 2,296 soldiers.

The smallest losses of the 14 Povolzhei regions were reported in Penza (461) and Morodovia (307).

The data was calculated using reports from relatives of the killed and official statements.

Authorities in these regions have consistently supported the war, providing financial aid to encourage residents to join the army.

In addition to soldiers called up through mobilizations, many from the region who joined the war were prisoners and private military mercenaries, as well as "kontraktniki" – men who voluntarily signed contracts to fight, lured by exorbitant wages and veterans' benefits, including those for widows and survivors.

The Russian government has been tight-lipped about its war losses since it launched the invasion in February 2022. Its last official figure came in September of that year, when it announced that 5,937 Russian soldiers had been killed. At the time, the Ukrainian side was reporting Russian losses nearly ten times higher than this figure.

This has made it difficult for journalists, analysts and outside observers to fully assess the impact of the war on certain populations.

The number, along with data released by REL last week, is the latest indication of how the burden of the Kremlin's war on Ukraine is falling disproportionately on Russia's most remote regions, far from population centers. rich as, Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

Mediazone and the BBC's Russian Service have confirmed the names of 71,057 Russian soldiers killed up to last month, with Bashkortostan and Tatarstan ranking first and fourth, respectively, for national losses.

Overall, Russian losses in the war in Ukraine now exceed those of all post-World War II conflicts involving the Soviet Union and Russia since the fall of the Iron Curtain./ REL