Schools that lose their lives for Russia in Putin’s war with Ukraine

Vladimir Putin repeatedly promised that no 18-year-old called to serve Russia to be sent to fight in Ukraine, but the Russian investigation into the BBC was discovering at least 245 soldiers of this age were killed there in the last two years.

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They can make only some of the Russian losses, but the monetary bonuses and patriotic propaganda have made an attractive choice.

Alexander Petlinski signed up two weeks after his 18th birthday.

He was killed in Ukraine just 20 days later: one of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers killed in the full-scale war of Russia in Ukraine which also took the life of at least 13,500 Ukrainian civilians Ever since Putin started the invasion in February 2022.

Aunt Ekaterina of Petlinski said she dreamed of a career in medicine and won a place at the Medical College in Chelyabinsk, an industrial regional center in the Urals.

“But Sasha had another dream,” she told the school school. “When a special military operation began, Sasha was 15. And he dreamed of going to the front.”

In Ukraine, the age for call is 25.

Russia has succeeded in avoiding national mobilization by offering lavish sums to men of martial age – a particularly attractive deal for those in the greater regions with few job prospects.

Initially, men had to have at least three months of service for recruiting under their belts before signing a contract.

This restriction had fallen quietly in April 2023, despite the protests of some deputies, so now any young man who is over the age of 18 and completed school can register to join the army.

The Russian education system ensures that they are ready to join.

Ever since the full -scale invasion began, it is required by the law to conduct classes dedicated to the “special military operation” as the war is officially known.

Soldiers returning from schools to visit the fronts to talk about their experiences, children learn how to make camouflage nets and candles for trenches, and even students from the nursery are encouraged to send letters and drawings to the front line.

At the beginning of the last school year on September 1, 2024, a new subject was introduced in the curriculum.

At return to the Soviet era, elderly students are again learning how to use Kalashnikov rifles and hand grenades as part of a course called the “foundations of safety and defense of the homeland”.

In many regions, the military recruits are now attending careers in schools and technical colleges, telling young people how to register as contractual soldiers after graduation.

Vitaly Ivanov grew up in a small village in Siberia and dropped out of college where he learned to be a mechanic.

He was difficult with the police, and when he was accused of robbing a small shop in November 2024, he complained to his mother and girlfriend, he was beaten to give recognition.

His friend Michael told the BBC that Vitaly had always planned to perform his military service when he was 18 years old. Then, together, they will go and find work routes in Kazan, a city about 3,700 km (2300 miles) to the west.

Instead, he signed a contract for joining the army. His family did not rule out that it was the police who “convinced” him.

On the day before he left, he called his mother Anna to say he was about to leave.

“I’m going to the northeastern military region,” he explained.

In other words, he was heading for Ukraine.

He and Alexander reached the front line about the same time in February.

Vitaly’s latest message at home on February 5 was to say that he was sent to battle.

“It was his first and last combat mission,” Anna says.

The recording service called her a month later to say he died on February 11th.

As part of the continuing BBC Russian project using open sources to count Russia to die war, we have identified and confirmed 245 names of 18 -year -old contracts killed in Ukraine between April 2023 – when the annex rules were relieved – and July 2025.

They were all recorded as contractual servicemen and, judging by published obituaries, most joined the armed forces voluntarily.

In general, according to our study, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, at least 2812 Russian men aged 18-20 years have been killed in Ukraine.

BBC numbers are based on open source information and since not every death is publicly reported, real losses are obliged to be higher.

By the end of July, the BBC created the names of 120 343 Russian soldiers killed during the full -scale war. Military experts estimate that they represent 45-65% of the real death number, which would be equal to 185 143 to 267,500 dead.

When Alexander Pelinxie turned 18 on January 31, the first thing he did was apply to take a year from college to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense.

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

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

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

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

She refused to say more.

His friend Anastasia says the fact that 18-year-olds sign contracts for joining the army is now a very “painful topic” for her.

“They are young and naive and there are so many that they do not understand,” she says. “They just don’t grasp full responsibility for what they do.”