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

Vladimir Putin has repeatedly promised that no 18-year-old children will be sent to fight in Ukraine to serve Russia, but the BBC Russian investigation has found that at least 245 soldiers of that age have been killed in the last two years.

New government regulations mean that teenagers out of school have enabled military service to go straight into regular army as soldiers.

They can only create a fraction of Russian loss, but cash bonuses and patriotic propaganda have signed an attractive option.

Alexander Petlinsky listed two weeks after his 18th birthday.

He was killed in Ukraine 20 days later: one of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers killed in Russia’s full -scale war in Ukraine Which has also claimed the lives of at least 13,500 Ukrainian citizens Since Putin started the attack in February 2022.

Petlinski’s aunt Ekaterina said that she had dreamed of a career in medicine and won one place in a medical college in Chelibinsk, an industrial regional center in Urals.

“But Sasha had another dream,” she told a school memorial event. “When a special military campaign began, Sasha was 15 years old. And she dreamed of going in front.”

In Ukraine, the call-up age is 25.

Russia has managed to avoid raising a national by offering a grand amount of men of ages – a particularly attractive deal for those in poor areas with some job prospects.

Initially, men had to serve at least three months under their belt before signing the contract.

Despite the opposition from some MPs, the ban was quietly dropped in April 2023, so now any youth who has reached the age of 18 and can sign up to join the finished school army.

Russia’s education system has ensured that they are ready to be admitted.

Ever since the complete scale invasion began, teachers need to conduct classes dedicated to “special military operations” by law, as the war is officially known.

Soldiers returning from front visit schools to talk about their experiences are taught children how to create camouflage nets and trench candles, and even nursery school students are encouraged to send letters and pictures on the frontline.

On 1 September 2024, at the beginning of the last school year, a new subject was brought into the syllabus.

In a throwing for the Soviet era, senior students are once again being taught how to use Kalashnikov rifle and hand grenade as part of the course called “The Basics of Safety and Homeland Defense”.

In many areas, military recruitment now participates in career lessons in schools and technical colleges, telling young people how to sign up as contract soldiers after graduation.

Vitali Ivanov grew up in a small village in Siberia and got out of college where he was learning to be a mechanic.

He got into trouble with the police, and when he was accused of robbing a small shop in November 2024, he complained to his mother and girlfriend that he was beaten to give a confession.

Her friend Mikhail told the BBC that Vitalty had always planned to perform her military service when she turned 18. Then, they will go together and find about 3,700 km (2,300 mi) in the west in the city of Kazan.

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

The day he left, he called his mother, Anna, to say that he was about to leave.

“I left for the north-eastern military district,” he explained.

In other words, he was going to Ukraine.

He and Alexander reached the frontline at the same time in February.

On 5 February, Vitali’s last message was to say that he was being sent to war.

“This was his first and last fighter mission,” says Anna.

A month later, the list office told him to say that he died on 11 February.

As part of the ongoing project of BBC Russian using open sources for the counting of Russia’s war, we have identified and confirmed the 245 names of 18 -year contract soldiers killed in Ukraine between April 2023 – when the rules were reduced when the rules were reduced – and July 2025.

All were listed as contract servants and, viewing from published obituries, most voluntarily joined the armed forces.

Overall, according to our research, at least 2,812 Russian men have been killed in Ukraine since the onset of a full scale invasion.

The BBC figures are based on open-source information and because not every death has been reported publicly, the actual losses are bound to be more.

By the end of July, the BBC had established the names of 120,343 Russian soldiers killed during a full -scale war. Military experts estimate that the actual death makes 45–65% of the toll, which will be equal to 267,500 dead from 185,143.

When Alexander Petlinesis turned 18 on January 31, the first thing he had had to apply to take a year from college so that he could sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense.

Although he wanted to become a doctor, he dreamed of going to fight in Ukraine.

The following month he was already on the front, and died on 9 March.

“As a citizen of the Russian Federation, I am proud of my son,” her mother, Elena told the BBC.

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

He refused to say more.

His friend Anastasia says that 18 -year -old children are signing a contract to join the army, now there is a very “painful subject” for him.

“They are young and naive, and much they do not understand,” she says. “They don’t just take full responsibility of what they are doing.”