Russians bury dead soldiers as Kremlin admits major losses in Ukraine
VLADIKAVKAZ, Russia (Reuters) – Russian households buried kinfolk killed in Ukraine with automated gun salutes and army brass bands on Friday, a day after the Kremlin admitted for the primary time that it had misplaced important numbers of troops.
Russia despatched tens of hundreds of troopers into Ukraine on Feb. 24 on what it calls a “particular operation”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned on Thursday that the losses have been “an enormous tragedy for us.”
Within the southern garrison city of Vladikavkaz, close to the Caucasus mountains, kinfolk gathered for the funeral of Vitaly Dyadyushko, one in every of two troopers buried on Friday within the city’s Vostochnoe cemetery.
One weeping girl wearing black kissed the face of the soldier, who lay in an open casket, flanked by troopers in gown uniform holding rifles. A Russian Orthodox priest waved incense over the coffin.
Dyadyushko, from the close by settlement of Arkhonskaya, left behind 4 sisters and a mom, mentioned native chief Alexander Kusey.
“He was from a big household, and he was the one one who supplied for it. I do not know the way the ladies will do with out him now, he helped quite a bit,” he mentioned. “He was not married, he didn’t have an opportunity, he was younger, very younger. It is a disgrace when the younger move away earlier than their time.”
Because the coffin was lowered into the bottom, a army brass band performed the nationwide anthem and an honour guard fired a salute utilizing automated weapons.
Shortly afterwards, mourners gathered for one more funeral, that of 41-year-old Ruslan Kozayev. One aged girl, in tears, gently touched his face.
Elsewhere within the cemetery, greater than 20 recent graves for troopers who died in Ukraine have been seen.
(Writing by Conor Humphries and David Ljunggren; Modifying by Daniel Wallis)
