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The Kremlin can hide the death toll. It can’t hide the graves.
POLITICO.eu • • world
Key Points:
- A Russian man was sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony for photographing graves of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine, highlighting the Kremlin's crackdown on documenting war casualties.
- Independent journalists and activists have used grave photography and open-source data to reveal Russian military losses far exceeding official figures, with estimates ranging from nearly 283,000 to over 700,000 deaths.
- The Russian government has increasingly classified casualty data as a state secret, restricted access to official statistics, and intensified surveillance and arrests related to documenting military deaths.
- The Kremlin’s secrecy aims to maintain recruitment levels by concealing the true human cost of the war and to project an image of military success to both domestic and international audiences.
- Despite government suppression, independent researchers continue to adapt their methods to track casualties, though graveyard photography has become too risky due to increased security and arrests.
