School-leavers losing their lives for Russia in Putin’s war with Ukraine

Vladimir Putin promised that no 18 -year -old children would have repeatedly been called to serve Russia, but the BBC Russian investigation found that at least 245 soldiers have been killed there in the last two years.

The rules of the new government mean that new young people outside the school can skip military service and enter the normal army directly as contract soldiers.

They can only create a part of Russian losses, but made a cash bonuses and patriotic propaganda attractive elections.

Alexander Petinsky joined two weeks after his 18th birthday.

He was killed in Ukraine only 20 days later: one of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers killed in Russia’s full -scale war in Ukraine This claimed the life of at least 13,500 Ukrainian civilians. Putin launched an invasion in February 2022.

Petinsky’s Aunt Ekaterina said that she dreamed of a career in medicine and that she gained a place in a medical school in Chelyabinsk, an industrial regional center in the Urals.

“But Sasha had another dream,” he said to a school monument event. “When the private military operation began, Sasha was 15 years old. And he dreamed of going to the front.”

Call age in Ukraine is 25.

Russia managed to avoid a national mobilization by offering generous amounts to men of the struggle age – a particularly attractive agreement for people in poor regions with a small number of business expectations.

Initially, men had to be at least three -month military service under their arches before signing a contract.

This restriction fell silently in April 2023 despite the protests of some MPs, so it can now register to join the 18 -year -old and finished school army.

Russia’s education system has enabled them to be ready to register.

Since the full -scale invasion began, teachers have been asked to keep the classes dedicated to the “private military operation”, as the law is known officially.

In order to talk about their experiences about their experiences to the soldiers returning from the pre -visit schools, they are taught to children how to make camouflage networks and ditch candles, and even kindergarten students are encouraged to send letters and drawings to the front.

At the beginning of the last academic year in September 1, 2024, a new issue was brought to the curriculum.

In a return to the Soviet period, senior students are once taught as part of a course called “Fundamentals of Security and Vatan Defense” how to use Kalashnikov rifles and grenades.

In many regions, military recruitment officers are now attending career classes in schools and technical colleges and tells you how to register as contract soldiers after graduation.

Vitaly Ivanov grew up in a small village in Siberia and left the university he learned to become a repairman.

He cope with the police, and when he was accused of robbing a small shop in November 2024, he complained that he was beaten to confess to his mother and girlfriend.

His friend Mikhail, BBC’ye Vitaly’nin 18 -year -old he said he always plans to do his military service. Then they would go together to the West to build ways to build business in Kazan, a city of 3,700km (2,300 miles).

Instead, he signed a contract to join the army. His family did not specify that he was the police that “convinced him”.

Anna, the day before leaving, called to say that she was about to leave.

“I’m going to the northeast military zone,” he explained.

In other words, he was going to Ukraine.

He and Alexander also reached the front in February.

Vitaly’s last message on February 5 was to say that he was sent to the war.

“It was his first and last war task, Anna says Anna.

His registration office stole him to say he died on February 11 months later.

As part of Russia’s ongoing project, which uses open sources to count Russia’s war, we identified and verified the 245 of the 18 -year -old contract soldiers killed in Ukraine between April 2023 – and July 2025.

All of them were recorded as contract troops and tried most of the issues of death, most of them voluntarily joined the armed forces.

In general, since the beginning of the full-scale occupation, at least 2,812 Russian men were killed in Ukraine between the ages of 18-20.

BBC’s numbers are based on open source information, and real losses are higher because not every death is explained to the public.

In late July, the BBC identified the names of 120,343 Russian soldiers killed during the full -scale war. Military experts estimate 45-65% of the real death fee, which will be equal to the dead of 185,143 to 267,500.

When Alexander Petlinksy was 18 years old on January 31, the first thing he did was to apply for a year from the university to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense.

Although he wanted to be a doctor, he dreamed of fighting in Ukraine.

The next month was already on the front and died on March 9th.

“As a citizen of the Russian Federation, I am proud of my son.” He said.

“But as a mother – I can’t deal with this loss.”

He refused to say more.

His friend Anastasia says that the fact that 18 -year -olds signed a contract to join the army is now a “painful issue” for him.

“Young and ranks and there are many things they don’t understand, or he says. “They just understand the exact responsibility of what they do.”