Journalists of The Telegraph, using satellite images, analyzed the rapid increase in cemeteries on the territory of the Russian Federation, associated with numerous losses in the war against Ukraine.
What is known about the rapid growth of cemeteries on the territory of the Russian Federation
Images of just one part of Moscow's Tula Cemetery, for example, show that the number of graves increased roughly fourfold between October 2021 and April 2023. During this time, a whole new section was added to the nearby Bogorod cemetery, apparently tripling its size, the publication says.
It is noted that both cemeteries are located near Ryazan, where units of the 106th Guards Airborne Division of the Criminal Army of the Russian Federation are based.
It is noted that this division took part in the battles in Ukraine at the beginning of the invasion, and then was sent to storm Bakhmut together with units of the "Wagner" PMK.
It is noted that the most new graves were observed in cemeteries where military elite units are buried.
Guards Airborne Division;
Guards Motorized Division;
PVK "Wagner".
The nearby cemetery near Feodosia and the Michael Cemetery near Stavropol are associated with the 7th Guards Airborne Division, which also fought from the beginning of the full-scale invasion. And lit up near Kherson and Mykolaiv. Last year, its fighters lost 49 soldiers in one day, - emphasize the authors of the material.
At the same time, the journalists note that the Alabino cemetery in the Moscow region is connected with units of the 2nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division, which tried to surround Chernihiv at the beginning of the war.
During the encirclement in February 2022, more than 150 fighters of the unit died, about 300 were captured.
For the occupiers, the conclusion is disappointing: in two years, the number of graves in the same place has increased 4 times.
I'm not surprised by the apparent increase in cemeteries near bases, as Russia is currently losing over 900 troops per day for minimal territorial gains. This is evidenced by the losses of the Russians in the battles for Avdiivka, where more than 16,000 of their soldiers died, - former intelligence officer of the British army and NATO planner Philip Ingram notes in a comment to the journalists of the publication.
How the West evaluates the losses of the Russian army in Ukraine
Journalists of the publication analyze the losses of the criminal army of the Russian Federation, referring to satellite images of the company Maxar Technologies.
According to the investigators of The Economist, about a quarter of the dead Russian soldiers are in regular military units, another quarter are newly mobilized or volunteers, and the rest are convicts, part of private military groups or unknown.
The Ministry of Defense of Great Britain notes that the losses of the occupation army of the Russian Federation in terms of killed are about 70,000 soldiers.
The United States notes that the number of Russian soldiers killed in the war against Ukraine may be up to 120,000.
The reality for Russians is that the increase in the size of these cemeteries does not fully reflect the true number of dead. Cemeteries will either increase again, or new ones will have to be built . Repatriation of bodies is not a priority for the Russian authorities, as it does not want to pay compensation to the families of the dead and seeks to hide the true scale of the victims. Therefore, the bodies of the occupiers are left lying in the steppes of Ukraine , - notes Philip Ingram.
