Governor of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako has admitted losses in the 155th separate Marine Guards Brigade during the attack on Vuhledar but assured that the previous reports about 300 Marines killed, wounded and missing in action were “greatly exaggerated.” The video message was published on his official Telegram channel.
Earlier, the Marines sent him a message, a copy of which was forwarded to the military prosecutor's office, Kozhemyako says. In the message to the governor, the soldiers, among other things, accused Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov, commander of the Eastern Military District and the Vostok Grouping of Forces in Ukraine, of failing to plan the operation in advance and trying to conceal the actual extent of losses. They also demanded that a commission independent of the Defense Ministry be appointed.
“We contacted the frontline Marine commanders. Those are guys who have been in combat since the beginning of the operation. We trust them. They told us the following about the combat operations at Pavlovka: “We are launching violent attacks, yes, there are losses, but not as heavy by far.” That's not a staff officer speaking, but a combat commander. He emphasized that the losses among the Primorye Marines were substantially exaggerated! For us, any casualties among our compatriots are a great loss and pain. We grieve for those killed in action. We will assist the families and the wounded.”
According to Kozhemyako, the Russian fighters showed “heroism and unparalleled courage” at Pavlovka and inflicted serious damage on the Ukrainian armed forces. Kozhemyako promised that the situation would be investigated, and the competent authorities would give their appraisal of the situation.
In the evening of November 6, VGTRK military correspondent Alexander Sladkov reported on the difficult situation in which the 155th separate guards Marine brigade of the Russian Pacific Fleet had found itself. According to him, the fighters at Pavlovka near Vuhledar sent Kozhemyako a letter complaining about their command and asking him to send a commission to stop the poorly planned and unprepared attack on the AFU positions. Also, the full text of the letter was published on the Grey Zone Telegram channel, associated with the Wagner PMC. It states that during the 4-day offensive the 155th brigade had 300 soldiers killed, wounded and missing in action, and lost 50% of the equipment.