High Wages, Heavy Losses: Russian Volunteers Account for 20% of War Dead

Russian volunteers, initially civilians, who joined the armed forces after the war began, now represent the largest share of battlefield casualties since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022, according to BBC analysis of Russian deaths.

Journalists have identified the names of 70,112 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine, though the actual number is believed to be much higher. Some families do not publicly disclose details of their relatives’ deaths. Additionally, the analysis does not include unverified names or the deaths in Russian-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine, as BBC reported on Friday, September 20.

The number of volunteer deaths since the full-scale invasion now exceeds other groups, with 13,781 killed (20%).

Previously, former prisoners who fought in exchange for pardons made up the highest number of casualties, but they now account for 19% of all confirmed deaths. Mobilized soldiers – citizens drafted for combat – make up 13%.

Since October of last year, the weekly number of volunteer deaths has consistently exceeded 100. In several weeks, more than 310 volunteer deaths were recorded, according to the BBC.

The report also highlights the story of Rinat Khusniyarov, which has become typical for volunteers. Khusniyarov was from Ufa in Bashkortostan and worked two jobs – at a tram depot and a plywood factory – to make ends meet. At 62, he signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense but lived less than three months after being sent to fight in Ukraine.

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Most of the Russian volunteers who died were aged 42 to 50, with the oldest being 71. In total, 250 Russian volunteers over the age of 60 have been killed in the war.

Soldiers told the BBC that the increase in volunteer casualties is partly due to their deployment in the most difficult combat zones, particularly in the Donetsk region in the east, where they form the backbone of reinforcements for exhausted units on the front lines.

According to analyzed data, most men signing contracts to participate in the war come from small towns in regions of Russia where stable, well-paying jobs are hard to find. Most volunteers joined willingly, although some in Chechnya reported coercion and threats to human rights groups and lawyers. Some volunteers also said they did not realize that the contracts they signed had no fixed end date.

As the BBC reports, military salaries can be five to seven times higher than the average wage in poorer regions of Russia, although social media posts frequently reveal complaints about unpaid wages.

Additionally, soldiers receive extra social benefits, such as free childcare and tax breaks. One-time payments for those signing contracts have repeatedly increased in many regions, making military service more attractive for many Russians.

At the end of July, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin proposed a one-time bonus of 1.9 million rubles (about $22,000) for Moscow residents who join the Russian army.

He stated that anyone taking up this offer could earn up to 5.2 million rubles ($59,600) in their first year of service. Additionally, those willing to fight in Ukraine could receive one-time payments of $5,690 to $11,390 for injuries, “depending on severity,” and families of fallen soldiers could be paid $34,150.

At the same time, Moscow authorities assured that all previously introduced support measures for participants in the “special military operation” would remain in place.

This includes a monthly payment of 50,000 rubles (about $580) to military personnel from Moscow.

Earlier, the governor of Russia’s Yaroslavl region announced a new initiative offering a payment of 100,000 rubles (about $1,150) to anyone who brings a friend to the military recruitment office. However, the friend must first sign a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense.