Not only bullets: Main causes of death for Russians in war

During the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian soldiers died not only in battles, but also suffered non-combat losses, including "friendly fire", although the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation hides statistics.

Source: Important Stories, Russian investigative media

Details: The investigation claims that the carelessness of the command and the low quality of military training are exhausting the Russian troops even before they are sent to the front.

One of the most common reasons for the death of occupiers is careless handling of weapons. In the verdicts of garrison military courts studied by the media, approximately the same plot was repeated: a soldier forgot to put the weapon on the fuse and accidentally or as a joke shot a comrade.

Furthermore, drunkenness in the army, negligence of commanders, inability to use military equipment and domestic conflicts often lead to the death of invaders.

"On-duty alcohol use by military personnel is a major cause of incidents in the Armed Forces, such as injuries, conflicts, and homicides, at least in peacetime in non-combat areas," the Conflict Intelligence Team military experts say.

The number of such losses is also influenced by the low level of competence of the command staff and the low level of professional training of Russian servicemen, according to analysts.

In particular, an example is given when contract soldier Stanislav Bolkunov killed a colleague and was sentenced to 10 years of jailtime. He told other soldiers that he shot because he "wanted to relieve tension and could not find another way to do it."

The publication claims that the murders of comrades in arms on the battlefield in Ukraine do not fall under the verdicts of military courts. Frequently, the military finds itself under fire from its own side due to problems with communication and aiming fire at targets.

According to the publication's experts, in the 10th month of the war, the share of Russian losses from friendly fire exceeded the international conventional norm.

Background: Russia has lost 99,230 soldiers in its war against Ukraine as of 20 December, General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports.

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