(Video) Russian Soldiers Return Home in Body Bags After Heavy Losses in Ukraine

The bodies of hundreds of Russian airborne troops killed in Ukraine have been returned to the Russian city of Ussuriysk in the Primorsky Krai region. Footage circulating on social media shows a grim scene as soldiers from the 83rd Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade are packed into body bags and prepared for transport. The video, reportedly filmed at a military mortuary, highlights the scale of Russian casualties.

A caption accompanying the footage describes how the brigade’s fallen soldiers have “returned to their home harbour” and that the “sorting room is in full swing,” emphasising the sheer volume of bodies needing to be processed. The 83rd Guards Airborne Assault Brigade has been active on multiple fronts in Ukraine and was previously deployed in Russia’s Kursk region. Reports also link members of this brigade to the atrocities committed in Bucha, in the Kyiv region, during the early days of the invasion.

This is not the first instance of mass casualties being transported back to Russian cities. The Russian government continues to downplay the true number of losses, but independent sources indicate that the actual figures are far greater than official reports suggest. The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces estimates that Russia has lost over 850,000 personnel since the full-scale invasion began on 24 February 2022. These figures account for those killed, wounded, missing, and captured.

For comparison, the Soviet Union suffered around 15,000 military deaths during its nearly ten-year-long war in Afghanistan. The losses sustained by Russia in Ukraine far exceed this number, raising further questions about the Kremlin’s willingness to continue its aggression despite the devastating toll on its own troops.