Russian losses during the week of war in Ukraine
During the week of a full-scale war that Russia launched on February 24, 2022 on the territory of Ukraine, the Russian troops suffered significant losses. According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, more than 1,500 units of military equipment and about 9,000 enemy personnel were liquidated by Ukrainian defenders.
On February 27, representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine launched a website 200rf.com, which contains information about the captured and dead Russian soldiers. Among the photos and videos from the battlefield published on the website, Russians can find details about the fate of their relatives and acquaintances participating in the war in Ukraine. However, shortly after its launch, the website was blocked by the decision of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia. Despite this, the respective telegram channel continues to operate on the territory of the occupying country and publish data about Russian soldiers.
The Russian side does not comment on the data voiced by the Ukrainian authorities. Only on the 4th day after the start of the war, the Russian Defense Ministry recognized the first “insignificant” losses on its own side. According to the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, “the commander-in-chief receives this information, but the Kremlin cannot publish the numbers.” See: https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2022/03/02/zelenskii-zaiavil-o-6000-pogibshikh-rossiian-v-rezultate-boevykh-deistvii-v-ukraine-minoborony-rf-ne-raskryvaet-dannye-o-poteriakh-news
In numerous videos, the captured Russian soldiers admit that they received false information about the surrender of Ukraine. Their commanders confiscated phones from many of them so that they would not be able to contact their relatives. There is also evidence that the occupiers finish off wounded comrades and do not take away the bodies of the dead.
A significant number of Russian soldiers are guys aged 19-22. Often they surrender on their own to avoid death. However, when exactly their mothers and relatives will receive accurate information about their fate from their authorities is unknown.