Thousands of killed and deserters: Russian army suffers defeat near Ukraine's Pokrovsk
Illustrative photo: Russian army suffers defeat near Pokrovsk (Getty Images)
A leak of internal Russian documents reveals massive losses suffered by the 41st Army of the Central Military District — including thousands of killed, missing, and deserters, according to the Khochu zhyt (I Want to Live) project.
According to the documents obtained by the project, as of June 1, 2025, at least 8,625 servicemen of Russia's 41st Combined Arms Army were killed in the war against Ukraine. Another 10,491 are listed as missing in action, while 7,846 have deserted.
Among all the units, the 74th Motorized Rifle Brigade from the Kemerovo region suffered the heaviest losses — about 2,500 killed, nearly 3,000 missing, and approximately the same number declared wanted.
"If we take into account the pre-war size of Russian Armed Forces motorized rifle brigades (around 3,500 personnel – ed.), the 74th Brigade, based on these categories alone — excluding prisoners of war and the wounded — has effectively gone through two full rotations," the report states.
According to the project, these losses were sustained mainly in the area of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. A particularly high rate of desertion has been recorded among mobilized convicts.
Situation in the Pokrovsk direction
Pokrovsk and the surrounding area in eastern Ukraine remain among the hottest spots on the front line. In recent days, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has repeatedly reported intense fighting in this sector.
Back in early May, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that the situation in the Pokrovsk direction had been stabilized.
"Pokrovsk is one of the most difficult sections of the front in the Russian-Ukrainian war," he noted at the time.
According to him, Ukrainian forces not only maintained control over their positions but also managed to seize the tactical initiative in certain areas.
Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believe that in the coming months, the Russian army will attempt to encircle Pokrovsk and outflank the fortified Defense Forces line in the Donetsk region from the west.
It is also known that Russian forces are trying to break through Ukrainian defenses in the Pokrovsk direction. Fierce battles are ongoing there.
