Faculty-leavers dropping their lives for Russia in Putin's battle with Ukraine

[ad_1] Anastasia Platonova & Olga Ivshina BBC Information Russian

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/fafb/live/c3829370-67ed-11f0-a665-63ea82eef55b.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/fafb/live/c3829370-67ed-11f0-a665-63ea82eef55b.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/fafb/live/c3829370-67ed-11f0-a665-63ea82eef55b.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/fafb/live/c3829370-67ed-11f0-a665-63ea82eef55b.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/fafb/live/c3829370-67ed-11f0-a665-63ea82eef55b.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/fafb/live/c3829370-67ed-11f0-a665-63ea82eef55b.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/fafb/live/c3829370-67ed-11f0-a665-63ea82eef55b.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/fafb/live/c3829370-67ed-11f0-a665-63ea82eef55b.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="VK/BBC Separate photos of two boys, one in a white judo outfit and the other a black tracksuit top" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> VK/BBC Alexander (L) and Vitaly died not lengthy after they arrived on the frontline in February

Vladimir Putin has repeatedly promised that no 18-year-olds referred to as as much as serve Russia can be despatched to combat in Ukraine, however a BBC Russian investigation has discovered no less than 245 troopers of that age have been killed there up to now two years.

New authorities guidelines imply youngsters contemporary out of college have been capable of bypass navy service and go straight into the common military as contract troopers.

They could make up solely a fraction of Russian losses, however money bonuses and patriotic propaganda have made signing up a beautiful selection.

Alexander Petlinsky enlisted two weeks after his 18th birthday.

He was killed in Ukraine simply 20 days later: one in every of a whole bunch of hundreds of troopers killed in Russia's full-scale battle in Ukraine which has additionally claimed the lives of no less than 13,500 Ukrainian civilians since Putin launched the invasion in February 2022.

Petlinsky's aunt Ekaterina mentioned he had dreamed of a profession in drugs and gained a spot at a medical school in Chelyabinsk, an industrial regional centre within the Urals.

"However Sasha had one other dream," she advised a faculty memorial occasion. "When the particular navy operation started, Sasha was 15. And he dreamed of going to the entrance."

In Ukraine, the call-up age is 25.

Russia has managed to keep away from a nationwide mobilisation by providing lavish sums to males of combating age - an particularly enticing deal for these in poorer areas with few job prospects.

Initially, males needed to have no less than three months of conscript service beneath their belts earlier than signing a contract.

That restriction was quietly dropped in April 2023, regardless of protests from some MPs, so now any younger man who has reached the age of 18 and completed college can signal as much as be a part of the military.

Russia's schooling system has ensured they're able to enlist.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/884e/live/7388c300-67f0-11f0-8dbd-f3d32ebd3327.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/884e/live/7388c300-67f0-11f0-8dbd-f3d32ebd3327.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/884e/live/7388c300-67f0-11f0-8dbd-f3d32ebd3327.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/884e/live/7388c300-67f0-11f0-8dbd-f3d32ebd3327.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/884e/live/7388c300-67f0-11f0-8dbd-f3d32ebd3327.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/884e/live/7388c300-67f0-11f0-8dbd-f3d32ebd3327.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/884e/live/7388c300-67f0-11f0-8dbd-f3d32ebd3327.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/884e/live/7388c300-67f0-11f0-8dbd-f3d32ebd3327.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Alexander Petlinsky/VK A picture of a young Russian man in a short-sleeved white shirt with a Russian strap over his shoulder" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Alexander Petlinsky/VK Alexander Petlinsky had at all times meant to grow to be a physician however signed a military contract as quickly as he turned 18

Because the full-scale invasion started, lecturers have been required by legislation to carry courses devoted to the "particular navy operation", because the battle is formally recognized.

Troopers coming back from the entrance go to faculties to speak about their experiences, kids are taught make camouflage nets and trench candles, and even nursery college pupils are inspired to ship letters and drawings to the frontline.

Firstly of the final college 12 months on 1 September 2024, a brand new topic was introduced into the curriculum.

In a throwback to the Soviet period, senior college students are as soon as once more being taught use Kalashnikov rifles and hand grenades as a part of a course referred to as "The Fundamentals of Security and Homeland Defence".

In lots of areas, navy recruiters now attend careers classes in faculties and technical schools, telling younger individuals how to enroll as contract troopers after they graduate.

Vitaly Ivanov grew up in a small village in Siberia and dropped out of school the place he was studying to be a mechanic.

He received into hassle with police, and when he was accused of robbing a small store in November 2024, he complained to his mom and girlfriend he had been crushed into giving a confession.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/f1bb/live/539dc340-67f2-11f0-af20-030418be2ca5.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/f1bb/live/539dc340-67f2-11f0-af20-030418be2ca5.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/f1bb/live/539dc340-67f2-11f0-af20-030418be2ca5.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/f1bb/live/539dc340-67f2-11f0-af20-030418be2ca5.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/f1bb/live/539dc340-67f2-11f0-af20-030418be2ca5.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/f1bb/live/539dc340-67f2-11f0-af20-030418be2ca5.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/f1bb/live/539dc340-67f2-11f0-af20-030418be2ca5.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/f1bb/live/539dc340-67f2-11f0-af20-030418be2ca5.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Vitaly Ivanov/VK A young man wearing a Russian hat and a khaki top" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Vitaly Ivanov/VK Vitaly Ivanov complained he had been crushed into confessing to a theft

His buddy Mikhail advised the BBC that Vitaly had at all times deliberate to do his navy service when he turned 18. Then, collectively, they might go and discover work constructing roads in Kazan, a metropolis about 3,700km (2,300 miles) to the west.

As a substitute, he signed a contract to affix the military. His household haven't dominated out that it was the police who "persuaded" him.

The day earlier than he left he referred to as his mom, Anna, to say he was about to depart.

"I am off to the North-Japanese Navy District," he defined.

In different phrases, he was heading for Ukraine.

He and Alexander reached the frontline at about the identical time in February.

Vitaly's final message house on 5 February was to say he was being despatched into fight.

"This was his first and final fight mission," says Anna.

The enlistment workplace rang her a month later to say he had died on 11 February.

As a part of BBC Russian's ongoing venture utilizing open sources to rely Russia's battle lifeless, we now have recognized and confirmed 245 names of 18-year-old contract troopers killed in Ukraine between April 2023 - when the foundations for becoming a member of up have been eased - and July 2025.

All have been enlisted as contract servicemen and, judging from revealed obituaries, most joined the armed forces voluntarily.

Total, in line with our analysis, because the begin of the full-scale invasion no less than 2,812 Russian males aged 18-20 years have been killed in Ukraine.

The BBC's figures are primarily based on open-source info and since not each dying is publicly reported, the actual losses are sure to be greater.

By late July the BBC had established the names of 120,343 Russian troopers killed in the course of the full-scale battle. Navy consultants estimate that makes up 45-65% of the actual dying toll, which might equate to 185,143 to 267,500 lifeless.

When Alexander Petlinksy turned 18 on 31 January, the very first thing he did was to use to take a 12 months out of school so he might signal a contract with the Defence Ministry.

Though he had wished to grow to be a physician, he additionally dreamed of going to combat in Ukraine.

The following month he was already on the entrance, and on 9 March he died.

"As a citizen of the Russian Federation, I'm happy with my son," his mom, Elena, advised the BBC.

"However as a mom - I can not deal with this loss."

She declined to say extra.

His buddy Anastasia says the truth that 18-year-olds are signing contracts to affix the military is now a really "painful topic" for her.

"They're younger and naive, and there is a lot they do not perceive," she says. "They simply do not grasp the total accountability of what they're doing."