A death certificate of Russian private military contractor Sergei Poddubniy number 131 reading he died in Tiyas, Homs province, of "carbonization of the body" on September 28, which was issued by the Russian consulate in Syria, is pictured in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia October 21, 2017. Picture taken October 21, 2017. REUTERS/Maria Tsvetkova
Reuters: Exclusive: Death certificate offers clues on Russian casualties in Syria
MOSCOW (Reuters) - An official document seen by Reuters shows that at least 131 Russian citizens died in Syria in the first nine months of this year, a number that relatives, friends and local officials say included private military contractors.
The document, a death certificate issued by the Russian consulate in Damascus dated Oct. 4, 2017, does not say what the deceased was doing in Syria.
But Reuters has established in interviews with the families and friends of some of the deceased and officials in their hometowns that the dead included Russian private military contractors killed while fighting alongside the forces of Moscow’s ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The presence of the Russian contractors in Syria - and the casualties they are sustaining - is denied by Moscow, which wants to portray its military intervention in Syria as a successful peace mission with minimal losses.
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WNU Editor: This blog pointed out these heavy Russian losses in Syria two weeks ago .... Syrian Forces And Russian Mercenaries Suffer Heavy Losses In The Battle For The Eastern Syrian Province Of Deir el-Sour (October 15, 2017). But this is the first time that I am reading for the first time the exact number of Russian civilians killed (131) in Syria. My gut is telling me that the number is higher.
4 comments:
131, that is a minor skirmish during world war 1 or 2. Russia has always had excellent and brave soldiers. They even beat us swedes in Poltava when we invaded Russia.
Western Allied fatalities in Afghanistan are averaging 338 a year so far,
Western Allied fatalities in Iraq are averaging 458 a year in Iraq so far, but there are claims that the PMC's have/are under reporting fatalities.
Putin doesn't care how many Russians die there. It not like his people will ever find out, he controls the media. If the number gets out few will ever see it and if they do Putin/Russian media will deny it. He is a dictator. The only thing he is concerned with are sanctions and people in the streets.
Jays,
Links
Anon,
The Russian people do know. They knew for example in the 1980s during the Afghanistan war.
In the 18980s there was a certain type of song or dirge that was sung. Something that a band about the size of a garage band or slightly larger would sing. It did not make the big, official stage, but it made the rounds. The Russians aren't stupid.
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