A cemetery for Russian soldiers killed in the war against Ukraine has been set up in Vladikavkaz, and the site continues to expand. Families from North Ossetia are telling of their losses as the region remains among the places in Russia that have sent a disproportionate number of soldiers to the front, the New York Times reports.
North Ossetia is a mountainous region with a population of about 680,000. According to data cited in the publication, almost every interviewee had a relative or close friend who fought in Ukraine or died there. For many families, the loss is more than one.
The Son Who Promised to Return
Among those buried in Vladikavkaz is 20-year-old Albert Abayev. He participated in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. His mother, Oksana Abaeva, says her son called home whenever he could, but did not complain about the cold and hunger at the front.
On May 17, 2022, men in military uniforms told Abaeva that Albert had died. At that time, her husband, Khetag Zaseev, was already at the front. After receiving leave, he went to a military morgue in Rostov-on-Don, picked up his son's body and returned him to Vladikavkaz.
„We are no longer the same. Our lives were divided into "before" and "after," says Abaeva.After Albert's death, she founded an organization for women who lost loved ones in the war. Despite her personal tragedy, Abaeva says that Russia should stop fighting only after the defeat of the opponents, whom she calls "Nazis in Ukraine." At the same time, she says: "I want peace. I don't want any mother to bury her child."
Losses are higher than the average for Russia
According to a report by the human rights organization "Memorial," cited in the article, the number of deaths in North Ossetia is approximately one-third higher than the average for the country. The calculation was made based on data from newspapers and social networks.
The publication states that poorer regions such as North Ossetia have sent a disproportionate number of soldiers, while large Russian cities have remained less affected by the direct consequences of the war.
„For us, this is war“
Among those interviewed is Anatoly Betruzov, 65, a veteran of Afghanistan and the fighting in Donbas. He suffered a leg injury during the war against Ukraine. Betruzov repeats the official Russian rhetoric about “Nazis“, but at the same time states that in the current war “there is no justice“, because people who have nothing to do with it are dying.
He says that he has forbidden his 33-year-old nephew from going to Ukraine. The man did not listen to him and later died.
When visiting the cemetery, some of the women reacted sharply to the presence of foreign journalists. Marina Danilova insists that there is no war in Russia, but a “special military operation“. Another woman objects: “For some, this is not a war. For us, it is a war“.
At the grave of Albert Abayev, Oksana is supported by her husband and their eight-year-old son David. According to her, the boy is already saying that he will also go to war to defend his people.
Sources: UNIAN, New York Times