Russian actors Efim Startsev, Evgeny Derbyshev, Pavel Chernyavsky, Nikolay Tkachenko, Boris Polovinkin, and Vadim Alfyorov, known for their roles in popular TV series such as Univers, Happy Together, Glukhar, and Streets of Broken Lights, joined Russian forces and were killed in combat operations between 2024 and 2026. Information about the artists' deaths was reported by the Styler publication, detailing their involvement in the conflict and their filmographies.
Efim Startsev and Evgeny Derbyshev: Details of Death and Television Roles
Fifty-year-old actor Efim Startsev, who starred in Detective Wars, Our Spetsnaz 3, and Nevsky: Shadow of the Architect, was killed during combat operations. There is no official information regarding the circumstances of his deployment to the frontline, but it is known that he was buried in St. Petersburg on October 19, 2026, after news of his death emerged on October 22. Startsev's filmography consisted predominantly of Russian detective and crime series.
Another actor, Evgeny Derbyshev, known for his roles in Glukhar, Trace, and Sklifosovsky, went missing in action in 2024. Only in June 2026 did his family receive an official death certificate. A graduate of the Yekaterinburg State Theatre Institute, he made his film debut in 2007 in the TV series Advocate, after which he regularly appeared in episodic and supporting roles on television.
Pavel Chernyavsky and Nikolay Tkachenko: Contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense
Pavel Chernyavsky signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense in December 2025 and was deployed to the combat zone. He spent about three months on the frontline and was killed on March 3, 2026, although widespread public notice of this information only occurred in May. Chernyavsky acted in Happy Together, Trace, and Girls with Makarov, with one of his final works being the 2025 Russian propaganda film Ours: A Ballad of War.
Thirty-six-year-old Nikolay Tkachenko, who performed in Univers: 10 Years Later, SashaTanya, and Nevsky: Hunt for the Architect, signed a contract in June 2025. He served in the Pskov Airborne Division and was killed near Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region in December 2025. News of his death surfaced in early February 2026.
Boris Polovinkin and Vadim Alfyorov: Law Enforcement and Actors in the Combat Zone
Former police lieutenant colonel and Chechen war veteran Boris Polovinkin played a leading role as a private investigator in the TV series District Detective. Later, he joined Russian occupation forces as an assault unit commander and went missing near Kurdyumivka in the Donetsk region in April 2025. It was revealed that he and four other Russian servicemen were killed after a Ukrainian drone entered their dugout, with news of the 60-year-old actor's death breaking in November 2025.
Actor Vadim Alfyorov, who starred in Streets of Broken Lights, Deadly Force, and Secrets of Investigation, signed a contract in October 2024 with the call sign Artist. On November 27 of that year, he was sent to Russia's Kursk region, where he was killed the following day by drone strikes. Alfyorov was considered missing for several months, and his body was identified only in May 2025.
Context and Implications of Publishing Information on Deceased Artists
The emergence of information regarding the deaths of Russian actors demonstrates the scale of involvement of cultural and media figures in combat operations in Ukraine. Many of these artists signed contracts voluntarily or combined their acting careers with service in law enforcement structures. Publishing such data sheds light on the fates of individuals who previously appeared regularly on television screens in entertainment and detective series, whose lives ultimately ended on the frontline.
