Pro-Russian troops gather on the street during the Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 17, 2022. REUTERS / Alexander Ermochenko
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LONDON, April 20 (Reuters) – Russia’s Defense Ministry has suggested that relatives of soldiers killed in Ukraine turn to the military rather than civilian authorities for compensation, imposing an additional level of secrecy over its military losses.
Russia has already classified military deaths as a state secret even in peacetime and has not updated its official casualty figures in Ukraine for nearly four weeks.
In its proposal, the Ministry of Defense demanded that the compensation paid to the families of fallen soldiers should no longer be monitored by civilians, but instead processed by the registry offices. The move is aimed at “limiting the circle of people” with information about Russian troops killed in Ukraine, it said.
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The proposal appeared on a government website for legal information. It was unclear when it would be reviewed by the government.
The ministry said on March 25 that 1,351 Russian soldiers had been killed and 3,825 wounded since Moscow launched what it called its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24.
It has not provided up-to-date information on military casualties since, but the Kremlin has spoken of “significant losses”. Ukraine and Western governments have said they believe Russian casualties are many times higher.
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Reuters Report Edited by Gareth Jones
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