Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
It’s not the first time we hear of this scheme.
Families waiting for news from the front lines often rely on official channels to trace their loved ones. Paperwork decides everything.
But behind official casualty numbers, a much darker reality can unfold for the relatives left waiting in the dark.
And as the Russian casualties in Ukraine continue to rise with an estimated more than 1.45 million personnel killed or injured in the war so far, the Kremlin is trying to hide the true extent of the human cost of the war.
Vanishing without a trace
Russia’s 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade is currently fighting near Huliaipole in the Zaporizhzhia region. According to the partisan movement ATESH, known for having agents inside the Russian army, commanders in the unit are systematically recording fallen soldiers as missing in action.
The group shared the allegations on its Telegram channel on August 4. ATESH reported that thousands of troops in the brigade, known as military unit 51460, have been listed as missing rather than dead.
The information has not been independently verified.
Unit commander Dmitry Shabaev took control of the formation in 2025. Reports indicate he routinely ignores calls, written pleas, and protests from desperate mothers and wives.
Reclassifying the dead hides real losses. It allows top commanders to protect official figures while avoiding financial payments owed to grieving families.
Threatening the families
Relatives who demand answers face swift retaliation. Ukrainian partisans say security personnel and counterintelligence officers actively intimidate military families into silence.
Officials warn grieving mothers that persistent questions will lead to criminal charges for discrediting the armed forces. They also threaten to strip families of all government benefits.
ATESH summarized the blunt warning given to relatives: “If you keep searching, we will imprison you.”
A recent strike on May 30, 2026, illustrates the tactic in practice. Ukrainian forces hit the Primorskyi Posad training ground in Zaporizhzhia, killing at least 31 personnel from the brigade. Headquarters promptly logged 13 of those fallen soldiers as missing.
Previously exposed scheme
While the information from ATESH has not been independently verified, reports of similar bureaucratic tricks from the Kremlin have previously surfaced.
In December 2025, TVP World reported that the Kremlin is listing wounded and killed soldiers as deserted in order to avoid paying compensation to the soldiers’ families.
According to the report from TVP World, compensation packages amount to €140,000 to families of fallen or wounded soldiers, but if a soldier deserts or goes absent without leave, the compensation is withheld.
