Alexander Zangiev who died in Syria. In memory of the fighters of the Russian PMCs who died in Syria. Fall victim to ISIS
Markelov had nine years of contract service experience in Chechnya (from 2005 to 2014), a relative of the deceased told RBC. According to a relative, he has "many honored Russian awards", including the St. George Cross and orders for service in the Caucasus. The coffin with the body of Markelov was delivered to Rostov-on-Don on February 6.
“In total, 14 coffins were brought to Rostov that day. From there, Dmitry's body was taken by plane to Kazan, where relatives took the remains," the source said. Markelov's funeral took place on February 16 in the Zelenodolsk region of Tatarstan. “There was an identification, the body was kept in Rostov for a long time - eight days,” the relative said. According to him, there were no representatives of the Ministry of Defense at the funeral.
What is a Wagner group
The so-called Wagner private military company appeared in the Middle East shortly before Russia began officially deploying its bases in Syria in the fall of 2015, an officer of the Ministry of Defense noted earlier in a conversation with RBC. This information was confirmed by a source familiar with the operation. In total, near the Syrian Latakia and Aleppo, there were almost 2.5 thousand people who represented the Wagner group.
Fontanka first reported on the Wagner group and its participation in the Syrian war in October 2015. According to her, earlier mercenaries were seen in the south-east of Ukraine, where they took part in the battles on the side of the self-proclaimed republics. The Wall Street Journal also wrote about this. The Wagner group got its name from the call sign of the leader of the detachment, sources told RBC who were personally acquainted with Wagner.
In Russia, any military service, not associated with the state, is prohibited. Participation in armed conflicts on the territory of another country is punishable by up to seven years in prison. For the recruitment, training, financing of a mercenary, "as well as for his use in an armed conflict or hostilities" is punishable by up to 15 years. At the same time, the laws that fix the legal status of military personnel do not apply to citizens who go to serve in PMCs.
Moskal
Private Konstantin Zadorozhny (call sign - Moskal) died in Syria, presumably on January 31, his comrade Eduard Miroshnikov, with whom he served in the GRU special forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in 2015, told RBC. Zadorozhny was in the Wagner group, the 22-year-old fighter died from shrapnel wounds, Miroshnikov said.
“Konstantin was a good guy, but frivolous. They [the mercenaries of the Wagner group] receive 5,000 rubles a day, and millions are made from them. I just found out that he signed up for the Wagner group, and then died in Syria. The city [where he served] did not speak,” Miroshnikov said.
Earlier, a source from RBC, who is familiar with the fighters of the Wagner group, said that the minimum salary for a mercenary on a base in Russia is 80 thousand rubles, and for service in Syria they pay from 250 thousand rubles. per month. For the deceased, the military company pays compensation to his relatives.
The funeral of Zadorozhny was held in the Moscow region on February 14. On the same day on the page in social network On VKontakte, priest Alexander Narushev, who buried Zadorozhny, posted a photo of the deceased, to which an audio recording called Wagner PMC was attached.
Who is Wagner
Wagner is the call sign of the commander of the private military company of the same name, his real name is Dmitry Utkin. Utkin, born in 1970, is a reserve officer and previously served in the Pskov brigade of the GRU, RBC. Until 2013, he was the commander of the 700th separate detachment of special forces of the 2nd separate brigade of the Special Forces of the GRU of the Ministry of Defense. In 2013, Utkin left the ranks of the Armed Forces and left for the Middle East as part of a group of fighters recruited by the Slavic Corps company. Since 2014, he has been the commander of his own unit. On December 9, 2016, at a reception in honor of the celebration of the Heroes of the Fatherland Day in the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace, Utkin got into the frame of a protocol video. Press Secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov that Utkin was among those invited to the Kremlin.
Dmitry Utkin (left) (Photo: screenshot of the Channel One story)
Russian soldier's choice
Police Lieutenant Colonel Aleksey Nainodin (51 years old) died in Syria on February 1: he was blown up by a mine, his friend Nikolai Gordienko said on his VKontakte page. The funeral took place on February 11 in Krymsk (Krasnodar Territory).
Nainodin served in the 101st special operational brigade of the Internal Troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, located in Grozny, went through both Chechen campaigns. According to acquaintances of the deceased, Nainodin also had experience of serving in the Donbass.
The lieutenant colonel has many awards for participation in the Chechen campaigns, including the Order of Courage and two medals "For Courage". In 2008, Ninodin even became the subject of the documentary film The Choice of a Russian Soldier.
Relatives of the deceased confirmed to the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) that Ninodin was a mercenary of the Wagner group and died near Tiyas (Homs province).
The CIT reported: from communication with relatives, it was established that Nainodin went to Syria to avenge Sergei Chupov. While in Syria, he led a group of four, which also included Roman Rudenko, and another fighter (whose name has not yet been established). They all died on the same day: January 31, 2017. On the same day, another Wagner PMC mercenary, a native of Moscow, Konstantin Zadorozhny, died.
Who are CITs
The Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) is a group of independent investigators that collects and analyzes information about the fighting in Syria and Donbass. The group got together in May 2014: it consists of six people, including its founder, Ruslan Leviev. The first high-profile CIT investigation was the publication of the death of three GRU special forces soldiers in the Donbass. One of the most famous investigations was devoted to Syria. The team collected this data a month before the start of the Russian military operation.
Ramon
Roman Rudenko (29 years old, call sign Ramon) died in Syria on the same day as Alexei Nainodin. Rudenko's wife said this in the comments under the photo of Nainodin, published on his page on the Odnoklassniki social network.
In a conversation with RBC, Olga Rudenko confirmed that her husband had died, but refused to answer additional questions.
The Ukrainian portal "Peacemaker", positioning itself as the Internet representation of the Center for Research on Crimes Against the Foundations of National Security of Ukraine, reports that Rudenko was a participant in the fighting in the Donbass.
At the same time, Konstantin Lebedev, who introduced himself as a friend of the deceased, turned to the editorial office of RBC. He claims that Rudenko was never in Syria and Donbass, but died in Russia as a result of an accident.
“We were insulating apartments. The order was accepted on the 12th floor, while I was mixing the solution, Romka climbed there. Apparently, jumar (a piece of equipment. - RBC) broke,” said Lebedev. Nikolai also got in touch with RBC, introducing himself as a close friend of the Rudenko family, who confirmed Lebedev's words.
At the same time, they found it difficult to name the exact date of Rudenko's death; both, according to them, participated in hostilities in the self-proclaimed Luhansk people's republic(LNR).
Quiet
In February (the date of death is not known) in the Syrian province of Homs, 28-year-old Russian Mikhail Nefedov (call sign - Quiet), who served in the Wagner group, died. RBC told him about this brother, Fedor Nefedov. The death of Mikhail Nefedov came as a result of a terrorist attack: a suicide bomber blew up a group of fighters, the explosion claimed the lives of ten people, Fedor Nefedov said. However, neither Fedor nor his parents believe in Mikhail's death. There was no identification, as the body was brought in a sealed coffin. Relatives insisted on an examination, but it was not carried out.
Fedor Nefedov, in a conversation with RBC, confirmed the authenticity of this correspondence.
Before leaving for Syria, Mikhail Nefedov was in the ranks of the Donbass militia. This was told to RBC by his colleague Alexander Pashkov, who served with Nefedov in military service from 2008 to 2009 near Noginsk. According to Pashkov, Nefedov went to the south-east of Ukraine in 2014, and in the summer of 2015 he was already going back to Russia.
In which militia battalion Nefedov served, Pashkov found it difficult to say because of the "confusion": the troops of the unrecognized republics, according to Pashkov, "were not fully formed." But Pashkov is sure that Nefedov served in the militia.
Nefyodov, says a colleague, fought first in Donetsk, then in Lugansk, and decided to return to Russia when a truce began in the Donbass. “Misha went to Donbass with bright thoughts, just like me, like everyone else, I tried to help in some way. With what thoughts he left is, of course, completely different, ”recalls Pashkov. - The war did not end in victory, the war froze, that's probably all. There was no point in staying here any longer."
The second cousin of the deceased, Sergei Zharikov, told RBC that many relatives did not even know that Nefedov was serving and fighting.
“He said that he was building bridges on earnings in the Leningrad Region. I got a call somewhere in November for the last time. He was in Yekaterinburg and asked how to get to the station - he allegedly returned from a business trip, - Zharikov recalled. - I asked about his affairs, and he replied that you just can’t tell, everything at a meeting. I say: it feels like you are some kind of secret agent. And he: "Well actually." He heard that his second cousin "served in a private military company."
The remains of Nefedov were delivered to Russia on March 1, Mikhail's father, Alexander Nefedov, went to Rostov to pick them up, the second cousin said. The funeral took place on March 4 in the city of Miass (Chelyabinsk region). There was no identification, the body was delivered in a zinc coffin. Relatives were given the token of the deceased and his phone with a broken SIM card, says Zharikov.
According to Zharikov, those few relatives who knew about Mikhail's service in Syria (in particular, Mikhail's brother Fyodor Nefedov and his aunt) tried to dissuade him from doing so. “I saw their last correspondence - the brother of his own Fyodor with Mikhail, in the month of January, where Fyodor writes to him: “Are you tired of living? Why do it? My brother wanted to take him to the States [in the USA]," Zharikov said.
Ensign Tychinin
A native of the city of Izhevsk, warrant officer Alexander Tychinin died in Syria, in the province of Homs, while performing military duties on February 18, near Palmyra. About it
The military formation, which its fighters call the “Wagner group”, has been fighting in Syria since the very beginning of the Russian operation, but so far has only once become the main topic. After the capture of Aleppo, despite the victorious tone of reporting in the federal media, the frequency of messages on social networks with the phrase “killed in Syria” increased significantly compared to even the period of the toughest battles for Aleppo. We decided to make an overview of Russian casualties at the beginning of 2017, and the first part of it is dedicated to Russian mercenaries.
Despite the fact that initially the goal of the Russian operation in Syria was declared to be the fight against ISIS, the very first days of Russian airstrikes, that the rebels were the goal, moderate opposition. In view of the desire of the opposition to recognize them as a representative of the opinion of the people, they have always taken into account the opinion of the international community, observing the ceasefire and truce regimes. In addition, suicide attacks were used much less frequently by Assad's opponents - as a rule, the Tahrir ash-Sham group (formerly Jabhat Fatah ash-Sham, formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) took responsibility for such attacks. As a result, Russian forces suffered significantly fewer losses on the fronts of battles with the rebels.
While ISIS remained out of the main focus of attention Russian troops, the losses were not striking in their scale. After the re-capture of Palmyra by a terrorist organization, attempts to encircle the Tifor air base (T4) and the start of a counter-offensive by Assad and Russian forces on Palmyra, the death toll of Russians began to rise rapidly. This is largely due to the fact that ISIS militants actively use suicide bombers, and besides, ceasefires and truces are impossible with them.
According to Nainodin's friends, he also fought in the Donbass, where he was wounded:
Having many awards for participation in the Chechen campaigns, including the Order of Courage, the medal "For Courage" and others, Alexei became the hero of the documentary film "The Choice of a Russian Soldier":
In other comments, the widow of Romana says that relatives are given different dates of death:
Different date options are also found in the comments. For example, which we cited above, it is said that Alexei Nainodin died on February 1. However, in the comments on the profile of Alexei Nainodin, there are reports that he died on January 31:
The Ukrainian website "Peacemaker" is a participant in the battles in the Donbass:
Friends of the deceased also remember Chechnya, but it is not clear how Roman could relate to the events in Chechnya. Considering his age, he could not get into the army until 2006, when the active phase of the second Chechen campaign had already ended (but the CTO regime was lifted in Chechnya in 2009):
Konstantin Zadorozhny
Simultaneously with the information about Nainodin and Rudenko, information about the death of Konstantin Zadorozhny appeared on the network:
The fact of Konstantin's participation in hostilities in the Donbass and Syria, as well as work for the Wagner PMC, was confirmed to us by a source who was personally acquainted with Konstantin. In addition, the Ukrainian site "Peacemaker" proving his participation in the battles in the Donbass.
Based on the evidence described above, we have come to the conclusion that Alexei Nainodin, Roman Rudenko and Konstantin Zadorozhny were mercenaries of the Russian private military company Wagner and died during the fighting in Syria, presumably on January 31, 2017. All three had previously participated in hostilities in the Donbass.
Dmitry Markelov
In February 2017, there were reports of the death of Dmitry Markelov in Syria:
During the collection of information, the profile of Markelov's widow was established, and Dmitry's colleagues were found in the comments to her publications, who specified that he died in Syria:
Similar information was reported by the widow's friends:
From the comments of Dmitry Markelov's former colleagues, it follows that he "served in Naur":
The village of Naurskaya is located in the Chechen Republic, on its territory there is a base of the 231st operational battalion of the 46th OBRON:
It was in 46 OBRON that Sergei Chupov served as a mercenary for the Wagner PMC. 101 OSBRON VV of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, in which Alexei Nainodin served, since 2000 also became part of 46 OBRON. In the fate of Roman Rudenko, there is also a still unclear connection with Chechnya, perhaps he also served in one of the units of 46 OBRON.
Widow of Dmitry Markelov direct question neither confirms nor refutes the fact that he served in Chechnya:
Interestingly, the relatives of Dmitry's death were first informed only 3 days later:
And for almost two more weeks, relatives were in the dark, hoping for a mistake:
The information about his death was finally confirmed only by February 14 - almost 2.5 weeks after his death:
Based on the experience of our investigations, we can say that such secrecy (including from relatives of the deceased), prolonged uncertainty, failure to report the fact and circumstances of death (on average 10-15 days) are typical for the dead Wagner mercenaries. In this regard, the situation is strikingly different from the Russian soldiers who died in Syria: relatives will finally learn about the fact of their death no later than 2-3 days after death.
Mikhail Nefyodov
At the end of February, a message came about the death of another Russian in Syria: Mikhail Nefyodov, originally from the city of Miass, Chelyabinsk region.
As can be seen from the message of his colleague, Mikhail served in 2008-2009, then fought in the Donbass and in Syria. In the process of searching for information, his friends contacted us and passed the information on condition of anonymity. They confirmed that Mikhail fought in the ranks of the separatists in the Donbass, as there are confirming photos from Donetsk:
Also, Mikhail's relatives confirmed that he went to fight in Syria not as a member of the Russian army, but as a mercenary of a private military company. According to them, they were informed about the death of Mikhail on February 22, while he died on February 10. In support of this, a photograph of Mikhail's grave with the date of his death was presented:
The conclusion about the death of Mikhail was issued by the military hospital. martyr Abdelkader Shakfe, who:
On the website of the administration of the province of Homs, the visit of the governor to the hospital in 2016, from which we can conclude that this is a functioning hospital.
According to Mikhail's relatives, they were told that he died in a suicide bombing. In this case, a total of 10 people died along with Mikhail. His body was brought to Rostov in a sealed "zinc" (galvanized box), handing over an army badge and cellular telephone with a broken sim card.
However, after the attention that arose to the death of a loved one, he deleted the screenshot of the correspondence (
As a result of hostilities in Syria in 2017, in particular, in two campaigns to liberate Palmyra, at least a dozen fighters of the Russian private military company (PMC) Wagner were killed, according to an investigation by the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), which is available "Novaya Gazeta".
The authors of the investigation, having studied records in social networks, video materials and talking with relatives of Russian military personnel, established that Alexei Nainodin (according to various sources, on January 31 or February 1), Roman Rudenko and Konstantin Zadorozhny (presumably on January 31), Ivan Slyshkin died in Syria (February 12), Vasily Yurlin (February 20), Alexander Sagaydak (presumably died at the end of February, the exact date is unknown).
In addition, on January 31, Yuri Sokalsky (the group has not yet found any information about him in open sources) and another PMC fighter, whose name has not yet been established, were killed. According to preliminary data, Wagnerites Alexander Tychinin, Mikhail Nefedov and Dmitry Markelov also died in the battles for Palmyra.
The authors of the investigation note that "a significant number of names have yet to be established." They also report that “cases of death of Russian mercenaries are characterized by a very late notification of relatives about the loss (from two weeks or more), inaccurate dates of death, delivery of bodies in sealed zinc with a request not to open them.”
“In addition, the Russian Ministry of Defense never confirms their death, although it often turns out to be forced to confirm the death of military personnel (especially after the publications of journalists and investigators) (...) The Ministry of Defense admitted that during the operation in Syria, 30 soldiers and two nurses were killed. How many Russian military personnel are in Syria is not officially reported, ”the investigation says.
It also states that “despite the fact that the initial goal of the Russian operation in Syria was to fight ISIS (the organization has been recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia — ed.), the very first days of Russian airstrikes showed that the target was the rebels, the moderate opposition.”
“While ISIS remained outside the main focus of attention of the Russian troops, the losses were not striking in their scale. After the re-capture of Palmyra by a terrorist organization, attempts to encircle the Tifor air base (T4) and the start of a counter-offensive by Assad and Russian forces on Palmyra, the death toll of Russians began to rise rapidly. This is largely due to the fact that ISIS militants actively use suicide bombers, besides, ceasefires and truces are impossible with them, ”the authors of the investigation conclude.
It is also reported that “the vast majority of identified mercenaries had previously participated in hostilities in the Donbass, some were injured. Many of the Wagnerians had experience of serving in special forces and hot spots. A characteristic detail is also the "Wagner medal".
Julia Reprintseva
Material from RBC about fighters of Russian PMCs in Syria
Let's not pay attention to the word "mercenary" - what kind of resource RBC, we know. But since they are so interested in "exposing" the participation of Russian private traders in the hostilities in Syria, then their information needs to be looked at. Moreover, there is not much else - something our official "bodies" are embarrassed by the participation of Russian PMCs in foreign conflicts. Just what is there to be ashamed of? We have the right to protect our national interests in any way. The monopoly of the "partners" has already come to an end ...
It became known about the death of nine more Russians in Syria
Nine more Russians were killed in Syria, at least six of them were Wagner group mercenaries, RBC found out together with the Conflict Intelligence Team. Almost all of them fought in the Donbass before being sent to Syria and served on a contract basis in Chechnya.
Sergeant Markelov
Senior Sergeant Dmitry Markelov (32 years old) died in Syria on January 29. He served in the so-called private military company Wagner, told RBC close relative deceased, who wished to remain anonymous.
“There, a man standing next to him caught on some kind of wire, a stretch. There was an explosion, and Dima was thrown aside by the blast wave. Shock, apparently, and he [died] from a broken heart, ”the interlocutor of RBC said.
A few days before Markelov’s death, militants of the Islamic State (IS) banned in Russia destroyed an antique tetrapylon in Palmyra, after which the Syrian army, with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces, intensified its offensive against jihadists. Palmyra was liberated from terrorists for the second time on March 2, 2017. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin about the completion of the operation to take the city.
In March 2016, the Syrian military recaptured Palmyra for the first time from IS, which had held the city since May 2015. However, then the terrorists managed to gain a foothold in positions east of the city and by the end last year recaptured Palmyra.
Markelov had nine years of contract service experience in Chechnya (from 2005 to 2014), a relative of the deceased told RBC. According to a relative, he has "many honored Russian awards", including the St. George Cross and orders for service in the Caucasus. The coffin with the body of Markelov was delivered to Rostov-on-Don on February 6.
“In total, 14 coffins were brought to Rostov that day. From there, Dmitry's body was taken by plane to Kazan, where relatives took the remains, ”the interlocutor specified. Markelov's funeral took place on February 16 in the Zelenodolsk region of Tatarstan. “There was an identification, the body was kept in Rostov for a long time - eight days,” the relative said. According to him, there were no representatives of the Ministry of Defense at the funeral.
What is a "Wagner group"
The so-called Wagner private military company appeared in the Middle East shortly before Russia began officially deploying its bases in Syria in the fall of 2015, an officer of the Ministry of Defense noted earlier in a conversation with RBC. This information was confirmed by a source familiar with the operation. In total, near the Syrian Latakia and Aleppo, there were almost 2.5 thousand people who represented the “Wagner group”.
Fontanka first reported on the Wagner Group and its participation in the Syrian war in October 2015. According to her, earlier mercenaries were seen in the south-east of Ukraine, where they took part in the battles on the side of the self-proclaimed republics. The Wall Street Journal also wrote about this. The “Wagner Group” got its name from the call sign of the leader of the detachment, sources told RBC who were personally acquainted with Wagner.
In Russia, any military service that is not associated with the state is prohibited. Participation in armed conflicts on the territory of another country is punishable by up to seven years in prison. For the recruitment, training, financing of a mercenary, "as well as for his use in an armed conflict or hostilities" is punishable by up to 15 years. At the same time, the laws that fix the legal status of military personnel do not apply to citizens who go to serve in PMCs.
Moskal
Private Konstantin Zadorozhny (call sign - Moskal) died in Syria, presumably on January 31, his comrade Eduard Miroshnikov, with whom he served in the GRU special forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in 2015, told RBC. Zadorozhny was in the "Wagner group", the 22-year-old fighter died from shrapnel wounds, Miroshnikov said.
“Konstantin was a good guy, but frivolous. They [the mercenaries of the "Wagner group"] receive 5,000 rubles a day, and millions are made from them. I just found out that he signed up for the “Wagner group”, and then died in Syria. The city [where he served] did not speak,” Miroshnikov said.
Earlier, a RBC source familiar with the fighters of the Wagner group reported that the minimum salary for a mercenary at a base in Russia is 80,000 rubles, and for service in Syria they pay from 250,000 rubles. per month. For the deceased, the military company pays compensation to his relatives.
The funeral of Zadorozhny was held in the Moscow region on February 14. On the same day, on the page on the VKontakte social network of priest Alexander Narushev, who buried Zadorozhny, a post appeared with a photograph of the deceased, to which an audio recording was attached called "PMC" Wagner ".
Who is Wagner
Wagner is the call sign of the commander of the private military company of the same name, his real name is Dmitry Utkin. Utkin, born in 1970, is a reserve officer and previously served in the Pskov brigade of the GRU, RBC reported. Until 2013, he was the commander of the 700th separate detachment of special forces of the 2nd separate brigade of the Special Forces of the GRU of the Ministry of Defense. In 2013, Utkin left the ranks of the Armed Forces and left for the Middle East as part of a group of fighters recruited by the Slavic Corps company. Since 2014 - the commander of his own unit. On December 9, 2016, at a reception in honor of the celebration of the Heroes of the Fatherland Day in the St. George Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace, Utkin got into the frame of a protocol video. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Utkin was among those invited to the Kremlin.
Dmitry Utkin (left)
Photo: screenshot of the plot of Channel One
Russian soldier's choice
Police Lieutenant Colonel Aleksey Nainodin (51 years old) died in Syria on February 1: he was blown up by a mine, his friend Nikolai Gordienko said on his VKontakte page. The funeral took place on February 11 in Krymsk (Krasnodar Territory).
Nainodin served in the 101st special operational brigade of the Internal Troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, located in Grozny, went through both Chechen campaigns. According to acquaintances of the deceased, Nainodin also had experience of serving in the Donbass.
The lieutenant colonel has many awards for participation in the Chechen campaigns, including the Order of Courage and two medals "For Courage". In 2008, Ninodin even became the subject of the documentary film The Choice of a Russian Soldier.
Relatives of the deceased confirmed to the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) that Ninodin was a mercenary of the Wagner Group and died near Tiyas (Homs province).
The CIT reported: from communication with relatives, it was established that Nainodin went to Syria to avenge the death of Sergei Chupov. While in Syria, he led a group of four, which also included Roman Rudenko, Yuri Sokalsky and another fighter (whose name has not yet been established). They all died on the same day: January 31, 2017. On the same day, another Wagner PMC mercenary died - a native of Moscow, Konstantin Zadorozhny.
Who are CITs
The Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) is a group of independent investigators that collects and analyzes information about the fighting in Syria and Donbass. The group got together in May 2014: it consists of six people, including its founder, Ruslan Leviev. The first high-profile CIT investigation was the publication of the death of three GRU special forces soldiers in the Donbass. One of the most famous investigations was devoted to the transfer of Russian troops to Syria. The team collected this data a month before the start of the Russian military operation.
Roman Rudenko (29 years old, call sign Ramon) died in Syria on the same day as Alexei Nainodin. Rudenko's wife said this in the comments under the photo of Nainodin, published on his page on the Odnoklassniki social network.
In a conversation with RBC, Olga Rudenko confirmed that her husband had died, but refused to answer additional questions.
The Ukrainian portal "Peacemaker", positioning itself as the Internet representation of the Center for Research on Crimes Against the Foundations of National Security of Ukraine, reports that Rudenko was a participant in the fighting in the Donbass.
At the same time, Konstantin Lebedev, who introduced himself as a friend of the deceased, turned to the editorial office of RBC. He claims that Rudenko was never in Syria and Donbass, but died in Russia as a result of an accident.
“We were insulating apartments. The order was accepted on the 12th floor, while I was mixing the solution, Romka climbed there. Apparently, the jumar (a piece of equipment. - RBC) broke down, ”Lebedev said. Nikolai also got in touch with RBC, introducing himself as a close friend of the Rudenko family, who confirmed Lebedev's words.
At the same time, they found it difficult to name the exact date of Rudenko's death; both, they said, were involved in hostilities in the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR).
In February (the date of death is not known) in the Syrian province of Homs, 28-year-old Russian Mikhail Nefedov (call sign - Quiet), who served in the Wagner group, died. RBC was told about this by his brother, Fedor Nefedov. The death of Mikhail Nefedov came as a result of a terrorist attack: a suicide bomber blew up a group of fighters, the explosion claimed the lives of ten people, Fedor Nefedov said. However, neither Fedor nor his parents believe in Mikhail's death. There was no identification, as the body was brought in a sealed coffin. Relatives insisted on an examination, but it was not carried out.
A dialogue between Mikhail and Fyodor Nefedov was published on Facebook before Mikhail left for Syria. At the time of writing, the post has been deleted.
Fedor Nefedov, in a conversation with RBC, confirmed the authenticity of this correspondence.
Before leaving for Syria, Mikhail Nefedov was in the ranks of the Donbass militia. This was told to RBC by his colleague Alexander Pashkov, who served with Nefedov in military service from 2008 to 2009 near Noginsk. According to Pashkov, Nefedov went to the south-east of Ukraine in 2014, and in the summer of 2015 he was already going back to Russia.
In which militia battalion Nefedov served, Pashkov found it difficult to say because of the "confusion": the troops of the unrecognized republics, according to Pashkov, "were not fully formed." But Pashkov is sure that Nefedov served in the militia.
Nefyodov, says a colleague, fought first in Donetsk, then in Lugansk, and decided to return to Russia when a truce began in the Donbass. “Misha went to Donbass with bright thoughts, just like me, like everyone else, I tried to help in some way. With what thoughts he left - this, of course, is completely different, - Pashkov recalls. - The war did not end in victory, the war froze, that's probably all. There was no point in staying here any longer."
The second cousin of the deceased, Sergei Zharikov, told RBC that many relatives did not even know that Nefedov was serving and fighting.
“He said that he was building bridges on earnings in the Leningrad Region. I got a call somewhere in November for the last time. He was in Yekaterinburg and asked how to get to the station - he allegedly returned from a business trip - Zharikov recalled. - I asked about his affairs, and he replied that you just can’t tell, everything at a meeting. I say: it feels like you are some kind of secret agent. And he: "Well actually." He heard that his second cousin "served in a private military company."
The remains of Nefedov were delivered to Russia on March 1, Mikhail's father, Alexander Nefedov, went to Rostov to pick them up, the second cousin said. The funeral took place on March 4 in the city of Miass (Chelyabinsk region). There was no identification, the body was delivered in a zinc coffin. Relatives were given the token of the deceased and his phone with a broken SIM card, says Zharikov.
According to Zharikov, those few relatives who knew about Mikhail's service in Syria (in particular, Mikhail's brother Fyodor Nefedov and his aunt) tried to dissuade him from doing so. “I saw their last correspondence - the brother of his own Fyodor with Mikhail, in the month of January, where Fyodor writes to him: “Are you tired of living? Why do it? My brother wanted to take him to the States [in the USA]," Zharikov said.
Ensign Tychinin
A native of the city of Izhevsk, warrant officer Alexander Tychinin died in Syria, in the province of Homs, while performing military duties on February 18, near Palmyra. This was reported by his wife and friends on the page on the social network VKontakte, they refused to talk to RBC.
Tychinin did military service from 2007 to 2008 in the 12th separate brigade special purpose GRU, found out by the Conflict Intelligence Team. It is not known exactly when he left for Syria, but friends of the deceased confirmed to CIT that Alexander Tychinin went there not as a Russian soldier, but as an employee of a PMC.
The fact that Tychinin worked in a private military company, without reference to any sources, was previously written only by the Military Observer portal, which has no imprint.
A native of the Khangalassky district from the village of Ulakh-An (Yakutia), Prokopy Solomonov, who died in Syria (the date of death is not known), was buried on February 28, writes news.ykt.ru portal. Solomon was 33 years old. He, as the publication clarifies, after school immediately went to serve in the army on conscription, after that he did not return home: he began to serve under a contract.
After completing his military service, Solomon went to serve in the "Wagner group," a resident of the Khangalassky district, who wished to remain anonymous, told RBC.
The head of the military commissariat for the Khangalassky district, Oleg Korobkov, commenting on the death of Solomonov to the Yakut publication, said that Solomonov "did not serve with us, he was in reserve." Korobkov declined to comment further.
The deceased had the call sign Solomon and in 2015 he fought on the territory of Ukraine on the side of the militia, reports "Peacemaker".
"One of the sons of Alania"
native North Ossetia Alexander Zangiev (40 years old) died on February 22 in the Syrian Tias (Homs province) as a result of an armored personnel carrier being blown up by a mine. One of his acquaintances wrote about this on his page on VKontakte. At the time of writing, the post has been deleted.
Instagram "News of Vladikavkaz" posted a message that "one of the sons of Alania" Alexander Zangiev died in the Syrian Tias. “He gave his life fighting terrorism and died as a hero,” the message says (author's punctuation retained. - RBC). Whether Zangiev was a mercenary of the "Wagner group", RBC could not find out.
Inhabitant of Kolomna
Alexei Veselov, a resident of Kolomna, died in Syria on February 16, his friend Alexandra Korneva said on her VKontakte page. She refused to talk to an RBC correspondent.
According to CIT, Veselov, a graduate of the Kolomna Higher Artillery Command School in 2007, was an active serviceman. Russian army, was not a member of the Wagner Group.
His classmate, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed to RBC that Veselov was an active serviceman. "Senior Lieutenant. He served in Kolomna itself at the Unmanned Aviation Training Center. Most likely, he came to Syria by order, ”the interlocutor of RBC said. According to him, no one has yet figured out the circumstances of Veselov's death. “They say it just burned down,” he concluded.
The Ministry of Defense did not respond to RBC's request about whether the dead were servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces and under what circumstances they died in Syria.
Syrian campaign casualties
Since the beginning of the military operation in Syria, the Ministry of Defense has confirmed the death of 28 Russian servicemen. If the Ministry of Defense confirms the information of RBC and three of the nine dead actually served in the RF Armed Forces, then we can talk about the death of at least 31 soldiers. How many mercenaries died in Syria is unclear. In August 2016, an employee of the Ministry of Defense told RBC that a total of 27 “private traders” were killed in the Middle East. In March of this year, it became known about the death of three members of the "Wagner group". As a result, the number of dead mercenaries can reach up to 36. Thus, in total, 67 dead became known during the military operation.
The increased number of dead Russian soldiers in Syria should be associated with the operation to liberate Palmyra, RBC said Chief Editor of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, reserve colonel Viktor Murakhovsky. Despite the fact that officially the offensive lasted from December 11 to March 2, it began around the second half of January, he noted. “And in order for it to end successfully, we had to make more efforts on the ground,” Murakhovsky explained.
According to the death toll, fighters from the private military company Wagner participated in both the first and second liberation of Palmyra from ISIS, Leviev of CIT said. According to him, many new names of the dead have yet to be established. The CIT points to common features in the information about the death of the "Wagnerites". The cases of death of Russian mercenaries are characterized by late notification of relatives about the loss (from two weeks or more), inaccurate dates of death, delivery of bodies in sealed "zinc" with a request not to open them. Most of the identified mercenaries had previously participated in hostilities in the Donbass, some were injured.
In addition, many of the "Wagnerites" had experience of serving in special forces and hot spots. A characteristic detail for the dead is the “Wagner medal”, which was awarded to Alexander Sagaydak, Ivan Slyshkin, Vasily Yurlin, Alexei Krokhun and Alexei Savko. This award is stylized as the Order of Courage, however, it does not appear on the lists of either state or departmental awards, from which we can conclude that it is a public award.
With the participation of Sergey Vitko and Dmitry Okrest
Copy of someone else's materials