AT least 70,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in Vladimir Putin’s “meat grinder” war in Ukraine, it was revealed yesterday.
Data shows civilians who joined Russian ranks after the invasion in February 2022 make up the largest proportion of those killed.
But the figure could be far higher if casualty figures hidden by Russia are taken into account.
The death toll used obituaries, photos from funerals and social media sites.
BBC Russian and independent website Mediazona said new graves marked by flags also helped confirm identities of killed soldiers.
The 70,112 that have died does not include unchecked names or those killed in Donetsk and Luhansk.
Some 13,781 were volunteers — which now exceeds former prisoners.
Citizens called up to fight under conscription account for 13 per cent.
Since October last year, the death rate among volunteers has been at least 100 per week.
Volodymyr Zelensky said in May that Ukraine’s losses were 31,000, but it is thought to be higher.
The ex-lawyer of late Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, Anatoly B, was yesterday arrested in Poland over attacks on Russian opposition figures.
VLAD BOMBS GRANS
A PENSIONER is cared for by medics after her retirement home was hit by a Russian guided bomb yesterday.
The home for 220 residents in Sunny, Ukraine, was attacked, with a 78-year-old woman killed and 14 injured.
By Nick Parker
