Russian Defense Ministry reportedly orders Khakassian authorities to stop publishing soldiers’ obituaries

At the request of the Russian Defense Ministry, the authorities in Russia’s Republic of Khakassia have stopped publishing obituaries for soldiers who died in Ukraine, the Radio Europe/Radio Free Liberty affiliate Sibir.Realii reported on Tuesday.

According to one source who spoke to the outlet, the request was a direct response to the fact that BBC News Russia and Mediazona have used obituaries, among other open sources, to calculate the Russian army’s losses in Ukraine. The journalists’ findings have differed greatly from the official numbers released by the Russian Defense Ministry itself, which last reported on its losses (5,937) in September 2022.

Journalists and volunteers from Mediazona and BBC News Russia have confirmed the deaths of 25,218 people who fought on the Russian side.

The Khakassian government last published an obituary for a Russian soldier killed in Ukraine on April 26.