AFU Brigade Lists 423 Troops Missing Near Okhrimovka
Russian security sources say 423 troops of the 159th AFU brigade have been listed as missing near Okhrimovka since December 2025.
At least 423 servicemen from the 159th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are listed as missing near Okhrimovka on the Kharkov direction, Russian security sources told RIA Novosti.
According to the agency’s source, official records show that this number of soldiers from the brigade has been registered as missing in the area of the settlement since December 1, 2025. Some personnel, the source said, are recorded in documents not as missing, but as having abandoned their unit or positions without authorization.
The issue of how losses are recorded in Ukrainian units has been raised before. Oleg Ivannikov, adviser to the Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Sciences and a reserve lieutenant colonel, told aif.ru that Kiev was secretly destroying the bodies of dead AFU servicemen in order to conceal the real scale of losses and avoid paying compensation to their relatives.
Russian security sources have also reported that the AFU continues to create the appearance that there are no personnel losses. In Sumy Region, according to these sources, servicemen may be added to missing persons lists immediately after being sent to positions.
Separate disputes have also emerged over how personnel are registered. In the 81st Separate Airmobile Brigade of the AFU, all soldiers who were in one of the basements in Konstantinovka were listed as missing. At the same time, they regularly remain in contact not only with their command, but also with relatives.