Accidental leak of secret data shows the magnitude of Russian losses in Ukraine, revealing numbers that the Kremlin tried to hide
A relative of Vladimir Putin accidentally leaked secret Kremlin data revealing Russia’s losses in its war in Ukraine.
Ana Tsivilyova, the daughter of Putin’s cousin and deputy defense minister, said the Kremlin had received tens of thousands of appeals from relatives seeking to locate missing soldiers.
“The Ministry of Internal Affairs collects [amostras de DNA] completely free, at your own expense, and inserts them into your database for all relatives who contacted us. I already said 48,000,” Tsivilyova said in a video during a meeting with parliamentarians.
The number of Russians killed in Ukraine is believed to be higher than that, according to Western intelligence. Actual data on battlefield losses is a highly guarded secret in Russia and Ukraine.
In 2023, Putin appointed Tsivilyova as president of a government fund for war veterans. He promoted her again this year as deputy defense minister. His father was Yevgeny Putin, the president’s cousin.
Astra, the Russian opposition Telegram channel that published the footage, said the video showed a parliamentary hearing in November.
Moments after Ms. Tsivilyova released the data, Andrei Kartapolov, head of Russia’s defense commission, intervened and reminded viewers that the numbers were top secret and should not be published.
“I sincerely ask that you do not use these numbers anywhere. This is such sensitive and confidential information. And when we prepare the final documents, we should not include these numbers anywhere,” he said.
The Russian government considers its casualty figures top secret because it does not want ordinary Russians to understand the true cost of its war in Ukraine.
Western intelligence said Russia has suffered more than 700,000 dead or seriously injured in the nearly three-year-old war, vastly surpassing the decade-long war in Afghanistan that the Soviet Union fought in 1979. The Kremlin has suffered about 70,000 casualties in his war in Afghanistan, which was considered the defining war of a generation.
November was Russia’s bloodiest month since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, with 1,500 casualties a day, as Putin presses his forces ahead of an expected peace deal expected to be imposed by Donald Trump after his inauguration as next US president in January.
With information from The Telegraph*
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2024/12/06/parente-de-putin-vaza-numeros-secretos-de-mortos-russos-na-ucrania/
