# Russian Armed Forces casualties in Syria

The Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war started on 30 September 2015, with 4,000 Russian military personnel being stationed in Syria. The Russian forces also consisted of 25 strategic bombers, 20 tactical bombers, 12 attack bombers, 8 fighter aircraft, 16 attack helicopters and various other aircraft.
As of spring 2019, there have been 116 officially confirmed Russian Armed Forces fatalities in the war. Also, two investigative groups, Fontanka and the Moscow-based Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), reported a conservative estimate of at least 73–101 private military contractors (PMCs) being killed between October 2015 and mid-December 2017, 40–60 of whom died during the first several months of 2017, according to Fontanka and one more PMC was killed in late December 2017. In early 2018, the founder of CIT stated the PMCs' death toll was at least 100–200, while another CIT blogger said at least 150 were killed and more than 900 were wounded. They belonged to the Russian company "Wagner". In February 2018, a number of Russian PMCs were reported to have been killed during the Battle of Khasham. Estimation of casualties varies with some sources reported up to 200 Russian contractors died during the strikes. On 15 March 2023, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 266 Russian PMCs were killed in Syria during the civil war, while BBC News Russian confirmed by names the deaths of 346 PMCs as of 14 December 2024.
In addition, at least 23 fighters have been killed that were possibly regular military, but their status has not been officially confirmed.
As of 14 December 2024, following the Fall of the Assad regime, BBC News Russian confirmed by names the deaths of 190 servicemen of the regular Russian Armed Forces and 7 officers of the Russian Federal Security Service during the conflict.

## List of fatalities
### Confirmed

The following list contains 144 servicemen listed as killed among the regular Russian Armed Forces and 7 officers of the Russian Federal Security Service:
| Date of death | Name | Rank | Age | Branch | Cause of death | Location of death |
| 1 October 2015 | Edward Sokurov | Sergeant | 29 | 346th Special Purpose Brigade, Spetsnaz GRU | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 24 October 2015 | Vadim Kostenko | Private | 19 | Russian Air Force | Non-hostile (suicide) | Khmeimim airbase, Latakia Governorate |
| 19 November 2015 | Maxim Sorochenko | Captain | 31 | Special Operations Forces (SSO) | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 19 November 2015 | Fyodor Zhuravlyov | Captain | 27 | Special Operations Forces (SSO) | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 24 November 2015 | Oleg Peshkov | Lieutenant colonel | 45 | Russian Air Force | Hostile fire (shootdown) | Syria–Turkey border, Latakia Governorate |
| 24 November 2015 | Alexander Pozynich | Seaman | 29 | Russian Marines | Hostile fire (shootdown) | Syria–Turkey border, Latakia Governorate |
| 1 February 2016 | Ivan Cheremisin | Lieutenant colonel | 42 | Special Operations Forces (SSO) | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | Latakia Governorate |
| 17 March 2016 | Alexander Prokhorenko | Senior lieutenant | 25 | Special Operations Forces (SSO) | Hostile fire (air-strike) | Palmyra, Homs Governorate |
| 12 April 2016 | Andrey Okladnikov | Major | 38 | Russian Air Force | Non-hostile (helicopter crash) | Homs, Homs Governorate |
| 12 April 2016 | Viktor Pankov | N/A | N/A | Russian Air Force | Non-hostile (helicopter crash) | Homs, Homs Governorate |
| 7 May 2016 | Anton Yerygin | Sergeant | 31 | International Mine Action Center [ru] | Hostile fire (sniper fire) | Palmyra, Homs Governorate |
| 24 May 2016 | Asker Bizhoev | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire (shelling) | Palmyra, Homs Governorate |
| 3 June 2016 | Marat Akhmetshin [ru] | Captain | 35 | 9th Motorized Rifle Brigade, 3rd Motor Rifle Division | Hostile fire | Palmyra, Homs Governorate |
| 7 June 2016 | Mikhail Shirokopoyas | Junior sergeant | 35 | 35th Army | Hostile fire (shelling) | Moscow, Russia (wounds from Aleppo Governorate) |
| 9 June 2016 | Oleg Arhireev | Captain | 28 | Special Operations Forces (SSO) | Hostile fire (landmine) | N/A |
| 14 June 2016 | Sergei Pechalnov | Senior lieutenant | 28 | Special Operations Forces (SSO) | Hostile fire (landmine) | Moscow, Russia (wounds from 9 June 2016, in Syria) |
| 16 June 2016 | Andrey Timoshenkov | Sergeant | N/A | Russian Marines | Hostile fire (suicide car-bomb) | Khmeimim airbase, Latakia Governorate (wounds from Homs Governorate) |
| 8 July 2016 | Evgeny Dolgin | Lieutenant | 24 | Russian Air Force | Hostile fire (shootdown) | Palmyra, Homs Governorate |
| 8 July 2016 | Ryafagat Khabibulin [ru] | Colonel | 51 | Russian Air Force | Hostile fire (shootdown) | Palmyra, Homs Governorate |
| 22 July 2016 | Nikita Shevchenko | Private | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire (improvised explosive device) | Aleppo Governorate |
| 1 August 2016 | Roman Pavlov | Captain | 33 | 92nd Helicopter Squadron, Russian Air Force | Hostile fire (shootdown) | Idlib Governorate |
| 1 August 2016 | Oleg Shelamov | Senior lieutenant | 29 | 92nd Helicopter Squadron, Russian Air Force | Hostile fire (shootdown) | Idlib Governorate |
| 1 August 2016 | Pavel Shorohov | Captain | 41 | 92nd Helicopter Squadron, Russian Air Force | Hostile fire (shootdown) | Idlib Governorate |
| 1 August 2016 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Russian Center for Reconciliation | Hostile fire (shootdown) | Idlib Governorate |
| 1 August 2016 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Russian Center for Reconciliation | Hostile fire (shootdown) | Idlib Governorate |
| 7 September 2016 | Evgeny Zakharchenkov | Junior sergeant | 28 | 14th Special Purpose Brigade, Spetsnaz GRU | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 22 September 2016 | Sergey Chernyshov | Major | 32 | Spetsgruppa "A", Federal Security Service | Hostile fire | Officially listed as killed in Dagestan, Russia |
| 5 December 2016 | Nadezhda Durachenko | Sergeant | 40 (around) | Ministry of Defence's special medical unit | Hostile fire (shelling) | Aleppo, Aleppo Governorate |
| 5 December 2016 | Galina Mikhaylova | Sergeant | 40 (around) | Ministry of Defence's special medical unit | Hostile fire (shelling) | Aleppo, Aleppo Governorate |
| 7 December 2016 | Ruslan Galitsky [ru] | Colonel | 44 | 5th Guards Tank Brigade, 36th Army | Hostile fire (shelling) | Aleppo, Aleppo Governorate |
| 16 February 2017 | Pavel Kozachenkov | Major | 31 | Russian Marines | Hostile fire (improvised explosive device) | Tiyas Military Airbase, Homs Governorate (four kilometers west) |
| 16 February 2017 | Vadim Magamurov | Senior lieutenant | 31 | Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) | Hostile fire (improvised explosive device) | Tiyas Military Airbase, Homs Governorate (four kilometers west) |
| 16 February 2017 | Sergey Senin | Lieutenant colonel | 43 | N/A | Hostile fire (improvised explosive device) | Tiyas Military Airbase, Homs Governorate (four kilometers west) |
| 16 February 2017 | Andrei Zekunov | Colonel | 44 | 152nd Guards Missile Brigade, Russian Marines | Hostile fire (improvised explosive device) | Tiyas Military Airbase, Homs Governorate (four kilometers west) |
| 2 March 2017 | Artyom Gorbunov | Private | 24 | 96th Reconnaissance Brigade, 1st Guards Tank Army | Hostile fire | near Palmyra, Homs Governorate |
| 9 April 2017 | Alexei Goncharenko | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | Hama Governorate |
| 9 April 2017 | Igor Zavidny | N/A | 34 | N/A | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | Hama Governorate |
| 18 April 2017 | Sergey Bordov | Major | N/A | Russian Marines | Hostile fire | Hama Governorate |
| 27 April 2017 | Alexei Chugunov | Junior sergeant | 39 | 14th Special Purpose Brigade, Spetsnaz GRU | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | N/A |
| 27 April 2017 | Bogdan Derevitsky | Junior sergeant | 24 | 14th Special Purpose Brigade, Spetsnaz GRU | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | N/A |
| 2 May 2017 | Alexei Buchelnikov | Lieutenant colonel | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire (sniper fire) | N/A |
| 10 July 2017 | Nikolay Afanasov | Captain | 33 | N/A | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | Hama Governorate |
| 2 August 2017 | Kurban Kasumov | Captain | 31 | 3rd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade, Spetsnaz GRU | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | Hama Governorate or Raqqa Governorate |
| 3 August 2017 | Valery Emdyukov | N/A | 30 | 3rd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade, Spetsnaz GRU | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | N/A |
| 4 September 2017 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | Deir ez-Zor Governorate |
| 4 September 2017 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | Deir ez-Zor Governorate |
| 19 September 2017 | Alexei Goynyak | Major | 33 | Special Operations Forces (SSO) | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 22 September 2017 | Alexei Kolganov | Senior sergeant | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 23 September 2017 | Valery Asapov | Lieutenant general | 51 | 5th Army | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | Deir ez-Zor Governorate |
| 30 September 2017 | Valery Fedyanin | Colonel | N/A | 61st Naval Infantry Brigade | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | Moscow, Russia (wounds from Hama or Deir ez-Zor Governorate) |
| 10 October 2017 | Yuri Kopylov | Captain | 42 | Russian Air Force | Non-hostile (plane crash) | Khmeimim airbase, Latakia Governorate |
| 10 October 2017 | Yuri Medvedkov | Captain | N/A | Russian Air Force | Non-hostile (plane crash) | Khmeimim airbase, Latakia Governorate |
| 31 December 2017 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Russian Air Force | Non-hostile (helicopter crash) | 15 km from Hama Military Airport, Hama Governorate |
| 31 December 2017 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Russian Air Force | Non-hostile (helicopter crash) | 15 km from Hama Military Airport, Hama Governorate |
| 31 December 2017 | Renat Gimadiev | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | Khmeimim air base, Latakia Governorate |
| 31 December 2017 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | Khmeimim air base, Latakia Governorate |
| 3 February 2018 | Roman Filipov | Major | 33 | 37th Mixed Aviation Regiment, Russian Air Force | Hostile fire (shootdown) | Idlib Governorate |
| 6 March 2018 | Vladimir Eremeev | Major general | N/A | 27th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade | Non-hostile (airplane crash) | Khmeimim airbase, Latakia Governorate |
| 6 March 2018 | 38 other deaths (see list of 36 names here ) | 1 Colonel, 6 Majors, 2 Captains, 29 Junior Officers and Sergeants | N/A | N/A | Non-hostile (airplane crash) | Khmeimim airbase, Latakia Governorate |
| 3 May 2018 | Albert Davidyan | Captain Major | N/A | Russian Air Force | Non-hostile (airplane crash) | Mediterranean Sea near Khmeimim airbase, Latakia Governorate |
| 3 May 2018 | Konstantin Dobrynsky | Captain | 33 | Russian Air Force | Non-hostile (airplane crash) | Mediterranean Sea near Khmeimim airbase, Latakia Governorate |
| 6 May 2018 | Nikolay Gushchin | Lieutenant Colonel | 39 | 18th Army Aviation Brigade | Non-hostile (helicopter crash) | eastern Syria |
| 6 May 2018 | Roman Miroshnichenko | Lieutenant | 24 | 18th Army Aviation Brigade | Non-hostile (helicopter crash) | eastern Syria |
| 13 May 2018 | Igor Melyantsev | Colonel | 53 | Special Operations Forces (SSO) | Non-hostile (Heart attack) | N/A |
| 23 May 2018 | Kirill Polischuk | N/A | 25 | 200th Artillery Brigade, 29th Army | Hostile fire (shelling) | near Mayadin, Deir ez-Zor Governorate |
| 23 May 2018 | Sergey Yelin | Senior lieutenant | 32 | 200th Artillery Brigade, 29th Army | Hostile fire (shelling) | near Mayadin, Deir ez-Zor Governorate |
| 23 May 2018 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 200th Artillery Brigade, 29th Army | Hostile fire (shelling) | near Mayadin, Deir ez-Zor Governorate |
| 23 May 2018 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 200th Artillery Brigade, 29th Army | Hostile fire (shelling) | near Mayadin, Deir ez-Zor Governorate |
| 2 July 2018 | Alexander Popov | Colonel | 43 | Special Operations Forces (SSO) | Non-hostile (Heart attack) | N/A |
| 17 September 2018 | 15 servicemen | N/A | N/A | N/A | Friendly fire (shootdown) | Mediterranean Sea, near Latakia Governorate |
| 31 January 2019 | Maxim Pletnev | Sergeant | 24 | Special Operations Forces (SSO) | Hostile fire | near Massasneh, Hama Governorate |
| 23 February 2019 | Suhrob Karimov | Major | 35 | 38th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade, 35th Combined Arms Army | Hostile fire | near Mayadin, Deir ez-Zor Governorate |
| 23 February 2019 | Albert Omarov | Colonel | N/A | 3rd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade, Spetsnaz GRU | Hostile fire | near Mayadin, Deir ez-Zor Governorate |
| 23 February 2019 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire | near Mayadin, Deir ez-Zor Governorate |
| 18 January 2020 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire | Idlib Governorate |
| 18 January 2020 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire | Idlib Governorate |
| 18 January 2020 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire | Idlib Governorate |
| 18 January 2020 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire | Idlib Governorate |
| 1 February 2020 | Bulat Ahmatyanov | Major | 32 | Spetsgruppa "S", Federal Security Service | Hostile fire | Aleppo, Aleppo Governorate |
| 1 February 2020 | Dmitry Minov | Captain | 34 | Spetsgruppa "K", Federal Security Service | Hostile fire | Aleppo, Aleppo Governorate |
| 1 February 2020 | Ruslan Gimadiev | Major | 41 | Spetsgruppa "K", Federal Security Service | Hostile fire | Aleppo, Aleppo Governorate |
| 1 February 2020 | Vsevolod Trofimov | Lieutenant | 32 | Spetsgruppa "S", Federal Security Service | Hostile fire | Aleppo, Aleppo Governorate |
| 11 March 2020 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Non-hostile (traffic accident) | Tartus Governorate |
| 22 June 2020 | Anton Kopeikin | Lieutenant colonel | 43 | Spetsgruppa "B", Federal Security Service | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 18 August 2020 | Vyacheslav Gladkikh | Major-General | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire (improvised explosive device) | Deir ez-Zor Governorate |
| 6 September 2020 | Mikhail Milshin | Sergeant | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire (improvised explosive device) | Moscow, Russia (wounds from Deir ez-Zor Governorate) |
| 13 November 2020 | Alexander Tarasyuk | Captain 2nd rank | N/A | Special Operations Forces (SSO) | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 14 January 2021 | Mikhail Klimentsov | Ensign | N/A | Spetsnaz GRU | Hostile fire | Idlib Governorate |
| 9 June 2021 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire (land mine) | Al-Hasakah Governorate |
| 9 September 2021 | Alexey Sneider | Lieutenant colonel | 45 | 61st Marine Brigade | Hostile fire (improvised explosive device) | Homs Governorate |
| 17 June 2022 | Ilya Tsuprik | Captain | N/A | Spetsgruppa "A", Federal Security Service | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 25 May 2023 | Oleg Pechevisty | Colonel | 49 | N/A | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 12 June 2023 | Umakhan Gadzhesov | Major | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire | Aleppo Governorate |
| 13 October 2023 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Friendly fire | Al-Hasakah Governorate |
| 13 October 2023 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Friendly fire | Al-Hasakah Governorate |
| 13 October 2023 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Friendly fire | Al-Hasakah Governorate |
| 13 October 2023 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Friendly fire | Al-Hasakah Governorate |
| 14 December 2023 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire | Daraa Governorate |
| 12 October 2024 | Stepan Alektorsky | Captain 1st rank | N/A | Russian Marines | Hostile fire | Deir ez-Zor Governorate |
| 12 October 2024 | Nikolai Mikhailenko | Captain 1st rank | N/A | Russian Marines | Hostile fire | Deir ez-Zor Governorate |

### Status unclear

The following list contains another 23 killed that were possibly regular military, but were not officially confirmed.
| Date of death | Name | Rank | Age | Branch | Cause of death | Location of death |
| 19 June 2016 | Vladimir Bekish | Colonel | 42 | 5th Guards Tank Brigade, 36th Army | Hostile fire (shelling) | Aleppo Governorate |
| 8 December 2016 | Sanal Sanchirov | Major | 37 | 56th Guards Air Assault Brigade | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | Palmyra, Homs Governorate |
| 5 February 2017 | Igor Vorona | Lieutenant colonel | 37 | N/A | Hostile fire | N/A |
| February–March 2017 | Sergei Travin | N/A | 40+ | N/A | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 8 April 2017 | Gennady Perfilyev | Lieutenant colonel | 51 | N/A | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 18 April 2017 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Russian Marines | Hostile fire | Hama Governorate |
| 3 May 2017 | Evgeny Konstantinov | Captain | 32 | N/A | Hostile fire | Hama Governorate |
| 3 May 2017 | Alexander Skladan | Major | 37 | N/A | Hostile fire | Hama Governorate |
| June 2017 | Kalandarov N. D. | Ensign | N/A | 3rd Guards Spetsnaz Brigade, Spetsnaz GRU | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 16 September 2017 | Rustem Abzalov | Colonel | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 16 September 2017 | Vladimir Tarasyuk | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 16 September 2017 | N/A | General | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 23 September 2017 | N/A | Colonel | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | Deir ez-Zor Governorate |
| 23 September 2017 | N/A | Colonel | N/A | N/A | Hostile fire (mortar attack) | Deir ez-Zor Governorate |
| 18–23 September 2017 | Magomed Terbulatov | N/A | N/A | Chechen military police | Hostile fire | possibly Idlib Governorate |
| September 2017 | Yuri Khabarov | N/A | 40 | N/A | Hostile fire | N/A |
| October 2017 | Mark Neymark | N/A | 25 | Special Operations Forces | Hostile fire (landmine) | N/A |
| 1 March 2018 | Alexander Solopov | N/A | 22 | 291st Artillery Brigade, 58th Army | Hostile fire | Eastern Ghouta |
| Early March 2018 | Vladimir Ponomarev | N/A | N/A | 291st Artillery Brigade, 58th Army | Hostile fire | N/A |
| 2 November 2018 | Andranik Arustamyan | Junior sergeant | 28 | 21st Guards Motor Rifle Brigade | Friendly fire (anti-tank mine) | Deir ez-Zor Governorate |
| 3 September 2019 | Dmitry Syskov | Captain | N/A | Special Operations Forces | Hostile fire (mine) | Idlib Governorate |
| 3 September 2019 | Kirill Nikonov | Senior Lieutenant | N/A | Special Operations Forces | Hostile fire (mine) | Idlib Governorate |
| 3 September 2019 | Roman Mitsyk | Major | N/A | Special Operations Forces | Hostile fire (mine) | Idlib Governorate |

## Out-of-country deaths related to the operation

On 25 December 2016, a Russian military Tupolev Tu-154 with 92 people on board crashed in the Black Sea during a flight from Sochi International Airport, Russia to Khmeimim, Syria. There were no survivors. Among those killed were: 64 members of the Alexandrov Ensemble choir, nine journalists, eight crew members, eight other passenger soldiers, two federal civil servants and a prominent Russian humanitarian worker.