220 Russian soldiers killed fighting in Ukraine, says new report by slain Kremlin opponent

Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov's posthumous report says 220 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine
(Image credit: Alexander Aksakov/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, allies of slain Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov released a report on Russia's involvement in Ukraine's civil conflict, based on the research and notes Nemtsov left behind when still-unidentified gunmen murdered him outside the Kremlin in February. The posthumous report says that despite Moscow's repeated denial of direct involvement in Ukraine's conflict, 150 Russian soldiers died in fighting in Eastern Ukraine last year and another 70 were killed during an assault on Debaltseve by Moscow-aligned separatists in January and February.

Nemtsov was focusing on whether Russia was paying death benefits to the families of the killed soldiers, finding that in some cases they were not. That's because, the report said, the soldiers were made to officially resign before crossing over into Ukraine to "volunteer" with the separatists, apparently after being assured their families would be paid anyway in the case of death or disability.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.