The situation on the ground remains tough in the Donbas following a bloody bombing of Mariupol by Kremlin-backed fighters who killed 30 civilians and wounded another 100 in the Jan. 25 assault.
The renewed offensive by the Russian-led forces forced the evacuation of civilians on Jan. 29 from Debaltseve in Donetsk Oblast. Ukrainian troops, meanwhile, were in danger of being encircled.
While Ukraine has lost at least five soldiers since Jan. 29, the Ukrainian side claims 8,000 separatists have been killed since April, but the government offers little proof to support the claim. Even though official data on Russian casualties does not exist, the estimates of Russian soldiers killed varies from 5,924, according to Russian blogger Oleh Yarchuk, to 6,242, as reported by respected Russian human rights activist Elena Vasilieva.
On Jan. 28, Ukraine’s Security Service head Valentyn Nalyvaichenko said Russia-backed terrorists use at least seven trucks to cremate Russian soldiers and local fighters in the war zone. According to Nalyvaichenko, the mission is coordinated from Russia. Andriy Lysenko, a military spokesman, said on Jan. 29 that the mobile crematories were used as early as last summer.
Nalyvaichenko also said the SBU’s hotline receives dozens of calls from Russian citizens daily as they try to find some information about their missing relatives sent to Ukraine.
The following is the list of those known to be killed through Jan. 22-27
Jan. 22
Oleksandr Chernikov, 30, a soldier of the 95th airborne brigade from Dnipropetrovsk. He used to work as a cameraman for local TV station. He was mobilized to the army in March.“Sasha was killed. He was open and honest guy with whom we used to work on “Provincial Chronicles” (investigative TV program),” Borys Filatov, Ukrainian lawmaker from Dnipropetrovsk, posted on his Facebook page. Chernikov was killed near Spartak village close to Donetsk Airport. He leaves a wife and two-month-old daughter in Dnipropetrovsk.
Vasyl Petrenko, 39, a member of the 160th air defense brigade. He was killed while defending Donetsk Airport. Petrenko leaves a wife and two daughters in his native Korosten in Zhytomyr Oblast.
Albert Atoyan, a soldier of the 208th anti-aircraft missile brigade. He used to work at Mykolaiv shipbuilding plant and later volunteered to the army. Atoyan was killed near Konstantynivka village in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a wife and two-year-old daughter in Mykolaiv.
Andriy Ilyin, 31, a soldier of the 57th mechanized brigade from Poltava Oblast. He used to work for a telecommunication company in Kremenchuk were he used to live. He was mobilized to the army in March. Ilyin was killed during the shelling at Horlivka checkpoint in Donetsk Oblast. He was the only son in his family.
Jan. 24
Oleksandr Yukhymchuk, 42, a member of the 30th mechanized brigade from Rivne. He worked as an ambulance driver in his native city and then was mobilized to the army. His comrades recalled he didn’t ask for vacation during the service even though he suffered from heart disease. Yukhymchuk died because of cardiac distress during the combat mission. He leaves a wife and 18-year-old daughter.
Dmytro Mykolaichuk, 21, Ukraine’s National Guard soldier from Khmelnytsk Oblast. He volunteered to the war zone in summer. Mykolaichuk was killed during the mortar shelling near the village of Vynohradne in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves his parents in Lomachynsti village in Khmelnytsk Oblast.
Vasyl Zhuk, 23, a soldier of the 93rd mechanized brigade from Rivne Oblast. He was mobilized to the army in mid-August and was killed during the shelling in Donetsk Airport. Zhuk was the only son in his family, he leaves his parents in Zdolbuniv in Rivne Oblast.
Maksym Hrebenyuk, 18, one of the youngest fighters of the Dnipro-1 Police Battalion. He volunteered to the battalion in autumn and was killed near Pisky village close to Donetsk Airport. His comrades recalled Hrebenyuk was very brave at such a young age and planned to get married when the war ends. He was the only son in his family.
Oleksandr Shevtsov, 34, a soldier of the 128 mechanized brigade from Cherkasy Oblast. He was mobilized to the army in April and was wounded in the war zone. After the treatment, Shevtsov went back to the east and was killed near Nikishyne village in Donetsk Oblast.
Oleksandr Popov, 31, a soldier of the 17th tank brigade from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. He used to work as a miner at one of the DTEK energy holding coal mines. “He was driven and intelligent young man who knew what he wants from life,” his colleague Yuriy Mushetei was quoted as saying. “And he was a real patriot that’s why he volunteered to the war.” Popov was killed in Debaltseve in Donetsk Oblast.
Jan. 25
Serhiy Buzeinikov, 24, a soldier of the 28th mechanized brigade from Kirovohrad Oblast. Buzeinikov was mobilized to the army in September. He was killed at the checkpoint near Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a wife and 10-month-old daughter in Zakharivka village in Kirovohrad Oblast.
Oleksandr Lyvadar, 21, a soldier of the 28th mechanized brigade. He was mobilized to the army in March and later was deployed to the war zone. He was killed at the checkpoint near Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a mother and a sister in his native Mykolaiv Oblast.
Jan. 26
Volodymyr Stepanok, a deputy chief commander of the motorized unit of 57th brigade from Kirovohrad. Stepanok, professional serviceman, was killed day before his 47th birthday. He used to be a local Svoboda Party member. He was an active EuroMaidan Revolution supporter and later went to the war zone in the east of Ukraine. Stepanok and his driver died instantly when the shell hit his APC near Debaltseve in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves a wife and a daughter in Kirovohrad.
Vitaliy Mazur, 35, a chief of the 13th unit of the 95th airborne brigade from Rivne Oblast. He was one of the first volunteers to defend Ukrainian border after the annexation of Crimea in March. Mazur was badly wounded while defending Donetsk Airport on Jan. 22 and died later in the hospital. “He’s irreplaceable. I have no idea who could replace him,” his comrade, Oleksandr Porkhun said during the mourning.
Viacheslav Gaga, 21, a military driver of the 95th airborne brigade from Cherkasy Oblast. He used to work as a teacher but then decided to enroll in the army. He was wounded once, but came back to the war front soon after the treatment. Gaga’s car tripped a mine near Spartak village close to Donetsk Airport. He leaves a father in his hometown.
Denys Senyuk, 21, a soldier of the 95th mechanized brigade from Poltava Oblast. He had been serving in the east of Ukraine since March. He met his future wife during his first visit home in summer. They got married later in October. Senyuk was killed during the mortar shelling near Vodyane village in Donetsk Oblast. He leaves his wife and parents in Poltava.
Mykola Samak, 23, a soldier from Ivano Frankivsk Oblast. He was killed during the shelling in Donetsk Oblast. Samak leaves his parents in Tekuche village in Ivano Frankivsk Oblast.
Anatoliy Bilous, 35, a soldier of the 92nd mechanized brigade from Poltava Oblast. He was killed near Triokhizbenka village in Luhansk Oblast.
Jan. 27
Anatoliy Holyk, 20, Ukraine’s National Guard soldier from Zakarpattia Oblast. Holyk was killed when a shell hit his APC near Donetsk Airport.
Ihor Rymar, 27, a member of the 80th airborne brigade from Ternopil Oblast. He was badly wounded in the fight for Donetsk Airport. His comrades recalled he had to wait more than seven hours before he was brought to the hospital. Rymar died two weeks later in Kyiv military hospital. He leaves a mother and a wife in Trybukhivtsi village in Ternopil Oblast.
Casualties mount in Russia’s war against Ukraine (through Jan. 28)
Civilians killed 5,086
Civilians wounded 10,948
Soldiers killed 1,427
Soldiers wounded 4,322
Displaced people from Donetsk, Luhansk oblasts and Crimea 921,640
Sources: Ukrainian Health Ministry, Defense Ministry Medical Service, Defense Ministry, United Nations, anti-terrorist operation spokesman Andriy Lysenko, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Russian human rights activist Elena Vasilieva
