12:58, 24 November 2025

The announcement of the death of 26 combatants from the Volgograd region sparked a debate on social media.

Many Facebook* users greeted the authorities' announcement that 26 soldiers from the Volgograd region had been killed in a military operation with glee. Other participants in the discussion deemed it necessary to halt the fighting.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on November 22, the head of the Svetloyarsky district announced that Dmitry Mikhaylin and Sergey Ilyin were killed in a military operation in Ukraine, and that their soldiers' medals had been handed over to their families. Earlier, district authorities named 24 more of their fellow countrymen killed in the military operation.

According to the "Caucasian Knot," by November 23, at least 8,050 soldiers from southern Russia had been officially recognized as killed in the military operation: 3,986 from the North Caucasus Federal District and 4,064 from the Southern Federal District. The largest number of those killed came from Dagestan (1,694), and among the regions of the Southern Federal District, the largest number of killed (1,540) came from the Volgograd Region.

A soldier in the special military operation zone in the Krasnolimansk direction
, photo: press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense. https://structure.mil.ru/

Northern Military District statistics: losses for the south of Russia As of 12:55 p.m. Moscow time, Facebook* users have left more than 530 comments under the "Caucasian Knot" post about 26 people killed in the Volgograd region. These commenters considered the combatants' deaths a natural consequence of their participation in the fighting. At the same time, most users did not express sympathy over the deaths of Russian soldiers in Ukraine, and many even expressed schadenfreude.

Some users expressed the opinion that the fighting should be stopped to prevent further losses on both sides.

It's very bad that people are dying on both sides.

"It's very bad that people are dying on both sides. Soldiers used to fraternize. You, the military, can stop [the fighting]," wrote, in particular, Sergiy Bashtan.

"Only morons can rejoice at the death of a person, no matter how or why he ended his life. Even the death of an enemy does not bring joy to a normal person," noted Yuri Panteleyev. "May the boys rest in peace, and my condolences to their families and friends," wrote Galina Boikova.

"Caucasian Knot" maintains a list of names of natives of the North Caucasus and Southern Federal Districts killed in the military operation. The list is compiled in accordance with current laws and based on information provided by officials—from the governor to the head of the village, as well as representatives of law enforcement agencies. As of November 24, at least 1,545 fighters from the Volgograd region have been officially recognized as killed in the military operation.

Military engineers take cover from an explosion. Photo: website of the Russian Ministry of Defense

The number of North Caucasian security forces killed in the North Caucasus Military District in the past two years has already exceeded the number killed in the conflict in the North Caucasus in the past 12 years.

As a reminder, after Putin's announcement During the "partial mobilization" in September 2022, in the Volgograd Region, as in other regions of southern Russia, attempts to mobilize people who, due to age or health, should not be sent to the combat zone were recorded.

In October 2022, the regional governor declared the tasks of the "first stage of forming a mobilization resource" completed. However, he noted that many mobilized personnel do not meet the criteria established by Putin.

However, the governor's announcement did not affect the mobilization regime in Volgograd. In particular, a Volgograd resident whose mother, a first-degree disabled person, is dependent on the draft was also called up.

State awards, memorial plaques, and appearances on Channel One do not guarantee state support for the families of those killed, according to the "Caucasian Knot" article "Three Comrades Served: How the Authorities Are Depriving the Families of Killed Volunteers of Benefits," which describes the stories of slain soldiers, including those from southern Russia.

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/417465