Bullet points of Russia’s war dead tops 70,000 as volunteers face 'meat grinder'

Bullet points of Russia’s war dead tops 70,000 as volunteers face 'meat grinder'
- More than 70,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine, with volunteers making up the highest number of fatalities since the start of the war.
- Volunteers, who joined the armed forces after the war began, account for 20% of the total number of confirmed deaths, with weekly fatalities exceeding 100 since October last year.
- The majority of volunteer soldiers come from small towns in Russia where stable, well-paid work is hard to find, and most appear to have joined up willingly.
- Salaries in the military can be five to seven times higher than average wages in less affluent parts of the country, plus soldiers get social benefits, including free childcare and tax breaks.
- Rising casualties among volunteers are partly due to their deployment to the most operationally challenging areas on the front line, notably in the Donetsk region in the east.
- The Russian military's 'meat grinder' strategy, where waves of soldiers are sent forward relentlessly to try to wear down Ukrainian forces, continues unabated.
- An official study by the Russian defence ministry says that 39% of soldiers' deaths are a result of limb injuries, and that mortality rates would be significantly improved if first aid and subsequent medical care were better.
- The Russian government is ramping up calls for service volunteers, along with incentives to do so, rather than forcing people to fight through a new wave of mobilisation.