At least 60 Russian conscripts killed in Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast

At least 60 Russian conscripts have been killed during a Ukrainian operation in Russia's Kursk Oblast in summer 2024, while the fate of another 60 remains unknown.

Source: Vazhnie Istorii (Important Stories), a media outlet founded by investigative journalists from Russia, citing social media posts by relatives and data from inheritance registers

Quote: "The average age of those killed is about 20. Conscripts from 34 Russian regions are among the dead, including 5 from Krasnodar Krai, 5 from Krasnoyarsk Krai, 4 from Altai Krai and 3 each from Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Komi, Buryatia and Dagestan.

Almost half of them have been killed within the first seven days of the Ukrainian operation launched on 6 August 2024. Losses among conscripts continued in September 2024, when at least 20 more died."

Details: On the first day of the operation alone, five soldiers from a howitzer platoon of the 30th Artillery Brigade (military unit 62048) were killed in Novoivanovka, while the fate of another four soldiers from the same platoon remains unknown.

Why this matters: Russian leader Vladimir Putin has repeatedly claimed that neither conscripts nor reservists are involved or will be involved in the war against Ukraine.

Reports of conscripts being engaged in combat in Kursk Oblast have appeared since the very start of the operation. Russian media have said the Ministry of Defence has not withdrawn them from the frontline.

Background: Journalists from the Russian service of the BBC have earlier reported that by the time of the Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast, 159 Russian conscripts had already been killed during the war. This means the number of dead conscripts since February 2022 may now exceed 200.

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