By: Claire Cao
Thousands of men, young and old, separated from their families and sent to the forefront of brutal battlefields along the Russian-Ukrainian border never return to their homelands. Instead, they fall victim to the cruel realities of violence and are intentionally left forgotten by the government.
Yevgeny Chubarin, an ordinary 24-year-old stone worker from the Karelia region, was enthusiastic to join the war effort. However, his mother wept tears of sorrow and begged her son not to go without avail. Chubarin was killed the next day.
Unfortunately, many families in Russia are currently experiencing the same loss of loved ones. But these stories are rarely amplified in Russia: they become buried under the blaring news of the Kremlin’s military success at the border. Yet some stories seep out of the small cracks.
Vladimir Krot was a retired war veteran, a 59-year-old trained pilot, who begged to serve in the war effort again. He was denied multiple times but, as the military became more desperate for recruits, they eventually permitted him to join. Krot died only a few days later when his plane went down during a training flight. He left his 8-year-old daughter and his wife to mourn his loss.
The Russian government is currently keeping the amount of people dead a secret. In Russia, it is a crime to criticize the military. Independent journalists who interview bereaved relatives or cover funerals have been arrested, claiming that telling stories full of “tears and suffering” would lower public morale. These limitations are intentional: the Russian government is trying to avoid anti-war movements within their own country and keeping the death count as low as possible encourages new recruits more inclined to draft in the military.
Since the end of July, BBC News and independent Russian outlet Mediazona have counted a total of 5,135 deaths. However, this number is nowhere near the accurate amount of casualties given that authorities take more than 3 months to confirm a dead person. According to the CIA and British intelligence agency M16 there could be at least 15,000 Russians dead in total.
In addition, many families are afraid to speak out or even hold a public funeral for their lost loved ones due to government surveillance. Even online pages dedicated to veterans have been shut down. In an online post, families of deceased soldiers have echoed their sorrow stating, “It will never be easier, there will never be true joy. We will never be the same again.”
It is terrible enough to lose a loved one, but Russian families are now forced to grieve and suffer in silence knowing that their loved ones will never be recognized and that they must shed tears alone.
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