Russia proposes medal for recovering bodies in war zones
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - OCTOBER 15: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov grimases during a Russian-Syrian meeting at the Kremlin, October 15, 2025, in Moscow, Russia. Vladimir Putin hosts Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in his first visit to Russia. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
Russia’s defence ministry has proposed a medal for servicemen and civilians who helped to recover bodies from combat zones – a rare official indication that Russia is struggling to account for the missing nearly four years into the war with Ukraine.
The draft document, published on Monday in an official database of proposed regulations, suggests awarding the medal for “evacuation of killed servicemen and other individuals in combat conditions with life-threatening risks.”
It also includes a proposal to award the medal for the implementation of innovative technologies helping to evacuate bodies from the front lines and identifying the dead.
Russia, like Ukraine, classifies its combat losses as state secrets.
More than 1 million Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to British military intelligence estimates published earlier this year.
