Sharp rise in Russian losses in Syria, investigation finds

The deaths of ten Russian servicemen have been confirmed by the Defence Ministry, but accounts from families and friends of the dead and local officials, Reuters has estimated the actual death toll among Russian soldiers and private contractors was at least 40.

The tally spanning seven months exceeds the 36 Russian armed personnel and contractors estimated by Reuters to have been killed in Syria over the previous 15 months, indicating a significant rise in the rate of battlefield losses as the country's involvement deepens.

The true level of casualties in the Syrian conflict is a sensitive subject in a country where positive coverage of the conflict features prominently in the media.

Commanders encourage the families of those killed to keep quiet, relatives and friends of several fallen soldiers, both servicemen and contractors, said on condition of anonymity.

Russia also does not openly acknowledge that private contractors fight alongside the army; their presence in Syria would appear to flout a legal ban on civilians fighting abroad as mercenaries.

Asked about Reuters' latest findings, the Defence Ministry and Kremlin did not respond, although the government has previously denied understating casualty figures.

Of the 40 killed, Reuters has evidence that 21 were private contractors and 17 soldiers. The status of the remaining two people is unclear.

The last time Russia lost airmen in Syria was in August, 2016, and it suffered its first serious casualties on the ground this year in January, when six private military contractors died in one day.

Maintaining control

The numbers come as Russian lawmakers and Kremlin advisers say Russia is refusing to provide air support to enable Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to begin an assault on the last rebel bastion of Idlib, in an effort to maintain control of its proxy in Syria.

The Russian stance, aimed at reinforcing its efforts to establish so-called de-escalation zones to strengthen a US-backed ceasefire in Syria, is creating a growing rift with Assad, according to the officials, as Putin enjoys a period of cooperation with the US.

US President Donald Trump also announced he had ended a programme to support rebels fighting against Assad because it was "massive, dangerous, and wasteful," – a move seen as conceding to Russia's strategy.