A contract soldier from the Volgograd region was killed in Ukraine.

Viktor Zhuravlev from the Nekhaevsky district was killed in a military operation in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the military operation, at least 1,689 soldiers from the Volgograd Region have been officially recognized as killed in it.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," by February 19, at least 1,688 soldiers from the Volgograd Region were officially recognized as killed in the military operation in Ukraine.

Viktor Zhuravlev from the Nekhaevsky District was killed in the military operation, according to the publication "Volgogradskaya Pravda.ru," whose founders include the Volgograd Region Administration and the Regional Committee for Territorial Entities, Internal and Information Policy.

According to the branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Rosselkhoztsentr," where Zhuravlev worked as an agronomist before leaving for the North Caucasus Military District, he served as an artilleryman and was killed on May 26, 2025, in a drone attack. The body of the deceased was unable to be delivered to his relatives for burial for a long time, the publication states.

He said he wanted to be buried in the Nekhaevsky district, in his home village.

A farewell ceremony for the 42-year-old fighter took place in the Nekhaevsky district, the Vysota 102 agency reported. "Viktor said that if something were to happen to him, he wanted to be buried in the Nekhaevsky district, in his native village of Upornikovskaya. His parents are there. He worked as an agronomist in the Nekhaevsky district, and since 2015, in Volgograd, where we all moved," Marina Zhuravleva, the victim's wife, told the agency.

06:58 21.02.2026

The number of fighters from southern Russia killed in Ukraine has exceeded 8,700

At least 4,271 fighters from the North Caucasus Federal District and 4,431 from the Southern Federal District have been officially recognized as killed in the military operation in Ukraine.

According to the woman, her husband volunteered for the North Caucasus Military District in November 2023. She learned of his death the following day, May 27, 2025. "Our drone filmed Viktor and his comrade-in-arms, call sign 'Ficus,' lying there on the battlefield. But they couldn't immediately retrieve the bodies," the agency quoted her as saying.

Thus, at least 1,689 soldiers from the Volgograd region have been officially recognized as killed in the military operation.

The "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 the "Caucasian Knot" report "NVO Statistics: Casualties Mounting in Southern Russia."

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" report "Three Comrades Served: How Authorities Are Denying Benefits to Families of Killed Volunteers," which describes the stories of the slain soldiers. "He has two Orders of Courage. But no official honors have been bestowed upon his family," a relative of one of the slain soldiers said.