A participant in Putin's direct line from Kalmykia was killed in Ukraine.

Senior Lieutenant Naran Ochir-Goryaev was killed in combat. Since the beginning of the military operation, at least 228 combatants from Kalmykia have been officially recognized as killed in Ukraine.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," by May 19, security forces and officials had officially recognized at least 227 fighters from Kalmykia as killed in combat in Ukraine.

Kalmykia's governor, Batu Khasikov, announced today on his Telegram channel that Ochir-Goryaev was killed in the military operation zone in Ukraine.

The circumstances of his death were not disclosed in the governor's statement.

Ochir-Goryaev met with Putin three times. Naran Ochir-Goryaev previously participated in a live broadcast of the "Year in Review with Vladimir Putin" program, which combines the head of state's major press conference with a live Q&A session, and helped Putin answer questions regarding the fighting in the Seversk region, TASS reports.

Thus, at least 228 fighters from Kalmykia 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.