Nine soldiers from the Rostov region were killed in Ukraine.

Vladimir Zaplatnikov, Oleg Kukareka, and seven of their fellow countrymen were killed in combat. Since the beginning of the Russian operation in Ukraine, authorities have publicly named at least 840 combatants from the Rostov region killed there.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," by January 19, government and security officials had officially recognized fewer than 4,194 soldiers from the North Caucasus Federal District and 4,310 from the Southern Federal District as killed in Ukraine, including 831 from the Rostov region.

The names of nine more servicemen killed in the combat zone in Ukraine were released by the Salsky District administration, reporting the transfer of posthumous awards to their relatives.

Viktor Belan, Andrei Volokh, Sergei Gruzdev, Vladimir Zaplatnikov, Oleg Kukareka, and Igor Litvinov were posthumously awarded the Order of Courage, while Nikolai Balyukov, Alexei Vasin, and Vasily Komarov were awarded Suvorov Medals. All of them served as privates, according to a publication on the municipality's official Telegram channel. The officials did not provide the soldiers' ages or biographical details.

Thus, at least 840 soldiers from the Rostov Region have been officially recognized as killed on the Ukrainian front. "Caucasian Knot" maintains a list of names of natives of the North Caucasus and Southern Federal Districts killed in the military operation. The list was compiled based on data officially released by government officials and security agencies, according to a "Caucasian Knot" report, "Northern Military District Statistics: Losses Are Growing for Southern Russia."

In December, the Salsky District administration named at least 20 soldiers killed in Ukraine: on December 3, officials reported the transfer of posthumous awards to the families of eight soldiers, and less than a week later, they announced the awarding of another 11 killed.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that Arshak Bardakhchiyan, a Communist Party deputy from the Myasnikovsky District, was killed in Ukraine.

State awards, memorial plaques, and appearances on Channel One do not guarantee state support for the families of those killed, according to the "Caucasian Knot" article "Three Comrades Served: How the Authorities Are Depriving the Families of Killed Volunteers of Benefits," which describes the stories of soldiers from other regions. "Who was my husband protecting? As a family of military pensioners, I receive only twelve thousand rubles a month for our two minor children. For both of us. That's less than one child receives through the Pension Fund for the loss of a breadwinner," complains the wife of Vasily Shtylun, who received five million rubles from the "Veterans" unit for her husband, who was killed in 2022.