Spreadsheet of the dead: counting the cost of war in central Ukraine

Tetiana Vatsenko-Bondareva reacts as she visits the grave of her husband Denys Bondarev, 38, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at a cemetery in Poltava, Ukraine May 25, 2023. REUTERS/Dan Peleschuk

POLTAVA, Ukraine (Reuters) -In peacetime, Viktor Tkachenko tracks local tenders, court registries and other open sources for a news outlet in central Ukraine.

These days, the reserved 33-year-old fills a spreadsheet with the names of Ukrainian soldiers from Poltava region killed since Russia's full-scale invasion began – 1,072 at last count – which is used in regular round-ups that typically contain between 10 and 40 names.