NewsRussia's war toll surges past 50,000: The deadly cost of a 'Meat Grinder' strategy
Russia's war toll surges past 50,000: The deadly cost of a 'Meat Grinder' strategy
BBC confirmed that the death toll among Russians has already exceeded 50,000 people. Studies indicate that more than 27,300 Russian soldiers have died in the second year of combat.
8:07 AM EDT, April 18, 2024
BBC, in collaboration with the independent Russian service Mediazona and volunteers, gathers data on soldier fatalities since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
"During the second year at the front line – when Moscow implemented the so-called meat grinder strategy – we found that the casualty rate was almost 25 percent higher than in the first year," the portal reports. Over the next 12 months of combat, more than 27,300 Russian soldiers died.
"The term meat grinder describes Moscow's brutal tactic of sending waves of soldiers to overwhelm Ukrainian forces and reveal their positions to Russian artillery fire," BBC explains.
This media outlet bases its counts on official reports, newspapers, and social media data. "New graves at cemeteries have helped identify many soldiers' names," it says.
The total number of fatalities exceeds 50,000, which is eight times higher than the only official figure provided by Moscow in September 2022. Since then, the Kremlin has not updated its statistics.
The actual number of Russian fatalities is likely much higher. Furthermore, the British broadcaster's analysis does not cover soldiers killed in the Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Prisoner-soldiers
BBC estimates that at least two out of five killed Russian fighters were individuals not previously associated with the country's military before the invasion. It also suggests that many casualties among the Russian forces are mercenaries from the Wagner group, predominantly recruited from prisoners.
Since June 2022, Moscow allowed Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to recruit from prisons. These prisoners-turned-fighters then served in a private army on behalf of the Russian government.
While working for Wagner, prisoners were typically signed on for six months. Survival meant their freedom. However, since last September, under the Ministry of Defense's directive, rank-and-file prisoners must fight until death or the war's end, whichever comes first.
How many casualties on the Ukrainian side among soldiers?
The portal notes Ukraine's reticence in discussing the extent of its battlefield losses. In February, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died, but estimates based on American intelligence suggest the losses are higher.
