06:52, 28 February 2026

A combatant from Uryupinsk was killed in a military operation.

Sergey Balalaev was killed in combat in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the military operation, at least 1,698 soldiers from the Volgograd region have been officially recognized as killed.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," by February 26, at least 1,697 soldiers from the Volgograd region had been officially recognized as killed in the military operation in Ukraine.

48-year-old Guards Sergeant Sergei Balalaev, deputy commander of a rifle platoon, was killed in the military operation, the Uryupinsk administration reported on its Telegram channel on February 25.

Balalaev worked as an engineer and technician in a design and architectural bureau and was sent to the special operation zone "in the first days of mobilization." "He leaves behind a wife, parents, and children," the publication stated. The mayor's office did not specify whether Balalaev was sent to the SVO zone as part of the mobilization.

On September 21, 2022, Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization. On October 28 of that year, the Minister of Defense reported to the president on its completion, but no corresponding decree followed. Meanwhile, on December 12, 2023, the military court in Maykop, in its verdict on a mobilized soldier who left his unit in June 2023, emphasized that "a partial mobilization has been declared in the Russian Federation, which was not completed at the time the crime was committed ."

Thus, at least 1,698 soldiers from the Volgograd region have been officially recognized as killed in the military operation.

The previous death of a SVO participant from Uryupinsk was reported on February 22. At the time, authorities reported that Private Sergei Simonyan had been killed in the military operation.

Russian soldier. Still from Defense Ministry video https://t.me/mod_russia/59569.

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

"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 "Northern Military District 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. "As a family of military pensioners, I receive only 12,000 rubles a month for my two minor children," the widow of one of the slain soldiers said.

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/421192