Russian forces in Syria have suffered casualties more than three times higher than the Kremlin previously reported, according to a Reuters report.
The Russian defense ministry reported that only five Russian troops were killed in Syria since Jan. 29, but Reuters independently confirmed that at least 18 Russian citizens were actually killed.
That period of time coincided with a major push to retake the city of Palmyra from Islamic State forces. Russia has been aiding its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in his fight against ISIS and various Syrian rebel groups since September, 2015.
Most of those killed were reportedly Russian private military contractors operating under the command of Russian military commanders, as opposed to regular military forces. Eleven of the dead were contractors, while the remaining seven were traditional Russian soldiers.
Yuri Sokalsky, a 52-year-old Russian man who was among the dead, signed up to fight with a group of private contractors in January. According to a person close to him, Sokalsky said he was shocked to learn how many Russian contractors were fighting in Syria, and how high the casualties were.
“Out of every 100 people, 50 are coming back in caskets,” the person recalled Sokalsky saying.
Several relatives of those killed were reportedly contacted by the private military contractors who warned them not to speak with reporters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria March 14, 2016. He claimed that the Kremlin’s objectives had been met, and yet, Russian air strikes in the country continue to this day. Russia claimed its intervention was based on pushing back the ISIS threat, though an analysis of some of its bombings in October show its forces were mostly attacking rebel forces.
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