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 The report was the last project of murdered Kremlin critic Boris
Nemtsov, who used open source information and interviews with
families to paint a picture contradicting Moscow's argument that no
serving Russian troops are fighting in Ukraine.
Nemtsov was shot dead in central Moscow in February and members of
his party, the liberal RPR-Parnas, and several opposition
journalists helped finish the 65-page report.
A spokesman for the Kremlin declined to comment on the report,
saying he was not familiar with it and could not say if Russian
President Vladimir Putin would look into it.
Ilya Yashin, who was an aide to Nemtsov, accused Putin of lying to
Russians by waging the war amid denials of involvement.
 "The war with Ukraine is an undeclared war, a vile cynical war which
amounts to a crime against all of the Russian nation. Putin will go
down in history as the president who made Russians and Ukrainians
foes," he told a news conference on the report.
The West accuses Russia of providing arms and troops to the
separatists fighting government troops, as well as giving them
training and intelligence. It stepped up sanctions on Moscow over
the conflict, which has killed more than 6,100 people.
The West first imposed sanctions on Russian businessmen and
officials after Moscow annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March
2014, before unrest spread to the east of the country.
The report, which Nemtsov started after families of Russian troops
killed in east Ukraine asked for his help, said at least 150 Russian
servicemen were killed in fighting around the village of Ilovaisk
and elsewhere in the region last summer.
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Their relatives received 3 million rubles in compensation provided
they did not speak publicly about the deaths, according to the
report.
Another surge in violence killed at least 70 Russian soldiers in
clashes around the town of Debaltseve earlier this year, the report
said, adding that the relatives of these troops were left without
compensation.
Authors said Russian soldiers were mostly forced to quit the army
officially before heading to east Ukraine, a move to support
Moscow's argument that there are no serving Russian troops there,
only volunteers.
They estimated that Russia spent 53 billion rubles over 10 months to
support Russian "volunteers" and local rebels as well as provide
military equipment.
The report said Russians fighting against Kiev troops in east
Ukraine earn up to 90,000 rubles ($1,774) a month.
(Additional reporting by Darya Korsunskaya; Writing by Gabriela
Baczynska; Editing by Elizabeth Piper/Mark Heinrich)
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