Unsung Sacrifices: Documenting the Tragic Fate of Ethnic Germans in the Ukraine War

Volunteers monitoring Russia’s casualties in the conflict with Ukraine have noted a striking overrepresentation of ethnic minorities among the deceased soldiers.

In addition to communities native to Russia—such as the Buryats and Tyvans—certain non-Indigenous minority groups have also experienced significant losses, including at least 1,017 ethnic Germans.

German settlers arrived along the Volga River during the late 18th century, invited by Catherine the Great, who hoped that these skilled farmers and merchants, having faced persecution in their homeland, would aid in modernizing the Russian Empire.

The group, commonly referred to as the Volga Germans, has endured a tumultuous history throughout Russia. Since the 19th century, they have faced forced russification and conscription under the tsarist regime.

The establishment of the Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1924 brought hope for the preservation of their culture and language, as well as a degree of political self-governance, but this initiative was short-lived. The Soviet government abolished the Volga German ASSR in 1941, forcibly relocating its residents to Siberia and Kazakhstan.

Andrej Triller, a descendant of Volga Germans now living in Germany, has been documenting the recent tragedy impacting his community by tracking casualties in the war among the approximately 195,000 ethnic Germans still residing in Russia.

The Moscow Times interviewed Triller about his motivations for maintaining this casualty count and what his findings indicate about the situation of Russian Germans.

This interview has been condensed for brevity and clarity.

MT: You’ve been tracking the casualties among German soldiers fighting for Russia in Ukraine since the onset of the full-scale invasion. What drove you to take this on?

AT: My life has been devoted to my community. I have been active in the Russian German rights movement since 1991 when we aimed to restore the Volga German Republic.

The war with Ukraine has become another tragedy for our people, who are once again being utilized by Russia in a conflict against Europe.

During World War II, many Soviet Germans were sent to labor camps instead of being placed on the front lines. Back then, people cried out against this injustice, asking why they were being interned. Today, however, Germans are being told, «Here’s your chance—go fight!»

If we compare casualty figures among various ethnic republics, Bashkortostan suffers the highest loss per capita with 4,578 confirmed casualties among a population of over 4 million. By contrast, ethnic Germans, numbering fewer than 200,000 in Russia, have recorded 1,000 deaths.

If we had a designated region within Russia, our loss rate would likely be lower as each federal subject is assigned a military quota. However, Russian Germans are distributed throughout the nation—from Kaliningrad to Sakhalin—and my casualty list reflects this dispersion.

MT: How many regions are represented in your casualty tally?

AT: I can specify where Russian Germans are primarily being mobilized: Altai, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kemerovo, Perm, Chelyabinsk, and Sverdlovsk. These are the areas where Soviet authorities deported German populations, including where the Gulag labor camps were situated.

Interestingly, more individuals were deported to these areas from Ukraine than from the Volga region. The Volga Germans are often referenced because they had an autonomous republic.

Now, however, those who were previously deported from Ukraine are being sent back to Ukraine to seize territory for Moscow.

MT: How do Russian Germans respond to your casualty list? Have you received any feedback?

I shared casualty figures within a chat group of Russian Germans—a group comprising notable figures, activists, and officials. One individual from Saratov dismissed it outright, stating, “That’s all fake!” I responded by pointing out that a casualty from that region, Daniel Falman from Marx, was indeed killed—urging her to verify the information.

MT: Were there any other comments?

Some expressed concerns that this information might have a demoralizing effect. I purposely make this information available to alert potential military volunteers about the reality they face. If someone chooses to avoid going to war and seeks a different path, I consider that a life saved.

The so-called «special military operation» represents a grave threat to the survival of the German diaspora in Russia. Many young conscripts have signed military contracts during their compulsory service. It’s crucial to recognize that when officers exert pressure—figuratively seizing them by the throat—conscripts experience almost no option but to sign.

I find it troubling that the Ukrainian media often highlights the Buryats, Kalmyks, and other ethnic minorities, acknowledging that they are sent to war against their will. Yet when it comes to Germans, there is a complete silence.

Russian Germans lack their own republic, and Ukraine understands that encouraging resistance among them is futile. They cannot rise up in their own region because they simply do not have one. Consequently, they remain overlooked and unrecognized.

To draw attention to this cause, I recently published an article on social media with a provocative title: «Merkel, Merz, and Fabritius Died in Ukraine.» Naturally, people assumed it pertained to German politicians, but it actually referred to Russian Germans with those surnames who have been killed in Ukraine.