At least 42,284 Russian military personnel have been killed since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, according to research by journalists from Mediazona and the BBC Russian Service who have established the deceased soldiers’ identities.
The number includes 5,089 mobilized soldiers and 7,810 inmates recruited from Russian prisons, the two media organizations said.
The journalists from Mediazona and BBC Russian Service also established that out of the total, at least 3,053 were officers and 349 of them had ranks of lieutenant colonel or higher.
The journalists based their research on data from open sources such as obituaries in the media and messages on social networks by relatives of the victims.
Imagine having your life cut short and sent back to your family in a coffin to cause them immeasurable grief. All that for what? To satisfy the ego and greed of a tyrant who doesn’t give 2 shillings worth of value to your life or your family’s welfare? This is why nations glorify soldiers and wars. Sometimes, they’re necessary to defend peace and the rule of law of the land. But most often, it’s to gaslight young people to become worthless pawns in the ego trip of some pathologically narcissistic and sociopathic individuals. Be wary of the charlatans who sell nationalism and praise soldiers - they’re scheming cowards looking for ways to avoid the same. Despite what they teach you, nationalism and honor are just tools to control you.