A total of 53 Russian soldiers died in January due to accidents or violence, down from 87 in December, according to official statistics.
The highest death toll was caused by accidents, the ministry said. The sources reported no hazing fatalities.
The total January statistics included two people who died from other people's negligence, 11 after violating traffic regulations against 32 in the previous month. In addition, 14 soldiers committed suicide against 25 in December, and seven died from offenses committed by civilians against four in December.
Six deaths were reported in the troubled republic of Chechnya against four in the previous month, with four against three of them killed in action. No soldiers were reported missing.
The overall military fatalities for 2005 were 1,064, both in the army and the navy.
