«67% of Russian servicemen killed in the war came from rural areas and towns with fewer than 100,000 residents, despite the fact that a smaller share of the country’s population lives there. These findings are based on a name-by-name list of casualties compiled by the BBC together with Mediazona and a volunteer team. Major cities show significantly lower casualty rates when measured as a share of the male population. However, as noted by University of Chicago economist Alexey Zakharov, Russia shows a unique pattern: the higher a municipality’s dependence on government subsidies, the more soldiers from there end up fighting and dying. In total, open-source data confirms the identities of 152,142 Russian servicemen killed since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The story of Moscow resident Mikhail Grinin illustrates the divide between large cities and the rest of the country. According to the data, Moscow residents have some of the lowest chances of being sent to war. Mikhail, who grew up in the capital, did not support the war and devoted himself to BMX riding. His social media contains no traces of military themes. According to his relatives, he decided to sign a contract after being detained under Article 228 and facing harsh detention conditions. “Why did he go, if he didn’t support it? Because he ended up in a torture-like environment… He thought maybe there he would have a chance,” a family member told the BBC. His case reflects how social and economic circumstances—rather than ideology—often shape who ends up being sent to war».

The Urban–Rural Divide: What Is Known About Russia’s Losses in Ukraine by December