Many men have left their families to join the Russian army in the fight against Ukraine. The Russian media covered families’ pain and suffering when their loved ones died in the war. Yet a few stories manage to reach Western media.
59-year-old Vladimir Krot was a Soviet-trained pilot and a retired Afghan war veteran. He begged to serve in Ukraine. He was accepted in June after many rejections and died a few days later. His SU-25 jet went down during a training flight in southern Russia. Krot left behind a wife and an 8-year-old daughter.
Yevgeny Chubarin was a 24-year-old factory worker. Despite his mother’s pleas, Chubarin was adamant about joining the Russian army. He left on May 15 with an AK-47 and died the next day.
A woman named Yevgenia Yakovleva wrote, “Oh god, please stop this war. How many of our guys can die?” “My soul is torn from pain. I don’t know how to accept this, survive and live with it.”
The total number of deaths from the war remains unknown, as it is a crime to question the invasion or criticize the military. The Kremlin has prioritized burying the “angry voices of mourning families and antiwar activists from coming together and gaining traction.” Online memorials have been shut down by authorities. Journalists who talk to bereaved relatives or write about funerals are immediately arrested. Articles about the war’s casualties are seen as bad for the public morale due to the mass amounts of “tears and suffering.”
These articles could also discourage others from joining the army in a time of urgent recruitment. The government is offering high-paying contracts for deployment. The Kremlin has released prisoners with military backgrounds to serve as well.
The fear of getting in trouble has prevented many families from speaking up about the deaths of their loved ones. Keeping track of war deaths is now up to independent media and rights groups.
59-year-old Vladimir Krot was a Soviet-trained pilot and a retired Afghan war veteran. He begged to serve in Ukraine. He was accepted in June after many rejections and died a few days later. His SU-25 jet went down during a training flight in southern Russia. Krot left behind a wife and an 8-year-old daughter.
Yevgeny Chubarin was a 24-year-old factory worker. Despite his mother’s pleas, Chubarin was adamant about joining the Russian army. He left on May 15 with an AK-47 and died the next day.
A woman named Yevgenia Yakovleva wrote, “Oh god, please stop this war. How many of our guys can die?” “My soul is torn from pain. I don’t know how to accept this, survive and live with it.”
The total number of deaths from the war remains unknown, as it is a crime to question the invasion or criticize the military. The Kremlin has prioritized burying the “angry voices of mourning families and antiwar activists from coming together and gaining traction.” Online memorials have been shut down by authorities. Journalists who talk to bereaved relatives or write about funerals are immediately arrested. Articles about the war’s casualties are seen as bad for the public morale due to the mass amounts of “tears and suffering.”
These articles could also discourage others from joining the army in a time of urgent recruitment. The government is offering high-paying contracts for deployment. The Kremlin has released prisoners with military backgrounds to serve as well.
The fear of getting in trouble has prevented many families from speaking up about the deaths of their loved ones. Keeping track of war deaths is now up to independent media and rights groups.
