1/ The demographic impact on Russia of the war in Ukraine is starkly revealed by the statistic that in 2022, the war likely caused the death of every second Russian who died between the ages of 20 and 24. ⬇️
2/ 'People of Baikal' reports that according to Russia's national statistics agency, Rosstat, 1,905,778 people died in Russia in 2022. Independent sociologists have found that young men had a much higher mortality rate than in 2021.
3/ The data in categories older than the 18-29 group are not taken into account, as they are distorted because of excess mortality caused by COVID-19.
4/ 'People of Baikal' comments that "the share of war deaths in the category of 20-24 years old is half of all the deaths of young men of this age. That is, every second man of that age who died in Russia last year died in a combat zone."
5/ It notes that these figures do not contradict the figures for Russian war dead in Ukraine which have been collected from open sources, such as relatives (the Russian government keeps its own figures secret). As of 5 May, 6,698 young men are confirmed to have died in the war.
6/ However, this figure is known to be greatly less than the actual number, as coverage is patchy – many deaths have not been publicly reported – and the bodies of many of those killed in the war have not been recovered, or are still listed as missing in action. /end
1/ Russian soldiers and their relatives are reportedly being cheated out of compensation for deaths and injuries. Medical authorities are said to be misdiagnosing injuries and declining to issue medical certificates, and are sending wounded soldiers back to the front line. ⬇️
2/ The "We can explain" (MO) Telegram channel reports that hospitalised soldiers are being given wrong diagnoses and denied compensation payments. One man, a professional soldier with 7 years' army experience, suffered a serious shrapnel wound which damaged arteries in his arm.
3/ His wife says that she applied for compensation from insurance and the local governor's fund for wounded soldiers, but was turned down by both. She says she was told that "the governor said not to pay money for bumps".
1/ Convicts serving with the Wagner mercenary group are reportedly being given arbitrary three-month extensions to their contracts as punishment for even minor transgressions, according to men captured near Bakhmut. ⬇️
2/ The Russian prisoners' rights group 'Russia Behind Bars' has published an interview with a man identified as Alexander Gadzhiev. He says that prisoners who do not follow orders face "zeroing out" (being killed) or "plus three" as punishments.
3/ Gadzhiev, a convicted thief and rapist, says that "'Plus three' is plus three more months to the contract... for non-compliance with an order." According to him, this is how Wagner punishes drinking alcohol, using a mobile phone and in general "for absolutely everything".
1/ Mobilised Russians serving in the occupied part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region say they are regularly being beaten and thrown into a zindan – an open-air dungeon – as punishment by a sadistic commander. One man is said to have been imprisoned in a zindan for five months. ⬇️
2/ There have been a number of reports from independent Russian media sources of soldiers being detained in zindans, essentially pits dug into the ground with a metal grating covering them. At least 2 zindans appear to be in use.
3/ The "We can explain it" Telegram channel reports on a new example described by relatives of men in the 1455th regiment. According to the men, their commander "regularly uses physical force on them. Those who try to resist the beatings are sent to the pit.
1/ The organisational chaos of the Russian army is highlighted by the case of a Russian soldier in Ukraine who was convicted of desertion after his unit found itself without a commander. An officer who eventually turned up told his men to submit their resignations. ⬇️
2/ The VChK-OGPU Telegram channel reports on the case of Russian volunteer soldier Nikita Tkachev, who was recently convicted of desertion by a military court and sentenced to 2.5 years in a penal colony. The events which led up to it were reportedly farcical.
3/ "Due to the lack of officers, gunners and spotters in the unit and the division of the battalion into two units, the soldiers had to look for a commander on their own. Failing to find one, the soldiers set up in a broken-down house indicated by a local resident.
1/ With aviation supplies and maintenance services in short supply, Russian airlines now depend on questionable suppliers in the Middle East and Asia. Some airlines are said to be avoiding recording malfunctions in aircraft logbooks so that they can keep faulty planes flying. ⬇️
2/ I've previously highlighted how Western sanctions are preventing authorised maintenance and the import of spare parts for Russian civilian aircraft, resulting in serious issues for their safety and reliability.
3/ The independent Russian media outlet Project reports on the wider picture of the Russian aviation industry's problems. The Russian government has spent billions of dollars supporting it. Hundreds of millions are being lost due to foreign airlines no longer flying over Russia.
1/ Military recruiters have reportedly urged 15-year-old schoolchildren in the city of Vladimir, 200 km east of Russia, to sign contracts to join the Russian army so that they can go and "fuck Ukrainians". ⬇️
2/ The Vladimir-based Telegram channel Dovod3 ('Argument') reports that Vladimir's School No. 37 recently held a 'Recruit's Day' for 10th graders.
3/ "The children were told about chemical protection, first aid at the front, sappers, as well as being shown weapons, helmets and flak jackets, after which they were strongly advised to go to war under contract, reports a reader of Dovod."