On the casualties – Bernhard Riedmann and Matthias Stahl in Der Spiegel:

‘"These figures help us to understand what is really happening in Ukraine," says journalist Ivshina. "For example, during the first weeks, Russia fought with its officers and special forces, the very best soldiers." Now, though, she says, casualties are primarily those who have been conscripted, volunteers or are mercenaries with the Wagner Group. She says it is also apparent that many victims come from structurally weak, poorer regions where many minorities live. Ivshina says this relationship can also be observed in the army as a whole. Russia is an unequal country, she says. In some areas, the army is almost the only chance young men have of ever being able to provide for a family.
This is less true for the Krasnodar region, which is one of Russia’s most important economic centers. "The high numbers there are explained by a group of very active volunteer researchers," says Mediazona journalist Maxim Litavrin, "though they work independently of us."
One of these volunteers, former Russian Air Force officer Vitaly Votanovsky, basically walks around cities looking for the dead and counts them. He caused a major international stir several weeks ago when he published footage on his Telegram channel of a previously unknown Wagner Group cemetery near the village of Bakinskaya. The local population had tipped him off about the graveyard.’

Read the article here.

After the first weeks of the devastating war the Russian army didn’t want to waste anymore officers.

Instead of them conscripts and prisoners were sacrificed for questionable goals.

Class, relationships, money.

If the officers don’t want to die anymore with their soldiers the army is unravelling.