If one crouches down in the woods near Lyuban, streaks of trenches can be made out clearly in the earth. They all operate under the umbrella of the Defense Ministry and have command structures integrated into the Armed Forces. Every new search gets to me as if it was the first one, says Rafik. Alexander, who was business owner before he devoted his whole time being a digger, found a bullet case stopped up with a small piece of wood which he hoped was an improvised ID tag. 2023 BBC. Joining BARS is one way to join the fight if you dont fit the Defense Ministrys criteria for enlistment, three volunteer soldiers told The Moscow Times. The diggers hold a different belief for them, some of the countrys WWII battle fronts were purposely hidden. Here, the teams technician,Rafik Salakhiev, employs digital imaging and ultraviolet light to bring faded pencil marks to light. They are persistent to continue until every fallen man has been found though that could take a lifetime of work. Ilya, a former army officer, found his first soldier in a walk through the countryside 3 decades ago. We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding racism, stereotyping, bigotry, and death-mongering. Little is known about the social background of the men volunteering in Ukraine, but a. reportedly have military experience and many fought in eastern Ukraine in 2014, when Russia backed a separatist uprising against Kyiv. On the battlefield in Ukraine, volunteers fight alongside regular soldiers, men drafted during the Kremlins partial mobilization announced in September and, One of the largest volunteer groups is Russia's Special Combat Army Reserve known as BARS (snow leopard in Russian) was. They are also often eligible for one-off sign-on. Its like an anchor which helps us to stay in place even during a storm, she states. In this location, measuring just a mere 10 square kilometers, about 19,000 soldiers were killed in a span of days in 1942. Come spring, they will resume their digging in the fields and forests where countless people were killed. So many Red Army units were killed, wiped out or surrounded - how could anyone think about burials, let alone records of burials, in such conditions?". World War One is known for the advent of trench warfare, with opposing forces pitched against one another from dug-in positions. Plus, it was less than two decades after the war. She recently unearthed a helmet and in order to find its owner, the team had to uproot two nearby trees. Here, in an area of just 10 sq km, an estimated 19,000 Soviet soldiers were killed in just a few days in 1942. "We just had to come to this reburial service to visit the place where he died and accompany him to his final resting place.". 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We are engaged in the search and burial lost Red Army soldiers/If we can to know their names, we looking for relatives and bury them on their native land with all the honors.All iron similar to weapons and ammunition we give away to police. An eternal flame may burn at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow but for these volunteers, the best means to honor those who have fallen during WWII is to give them back their identities. Alexander, who ran his own business selling food products before becoming a full-time digger, is holding a bullet case plugged with a small piece of wood. They also report that there are increasing fears that Ukraine could increase the number of attacks on key installations on the Russian border and deeper into the country. It's amazing to see such rare items found in remarkable condition. There are over 100 coffins with each containing the bones of 12 to 15 men in that reburial ceremony that day. There are around 300 volunteer groups in Russia searching for similar grave sites. The stop, however, is temporary. Because of these suspicions, his young son and daughter were branded as children of a traitor and his family was forced to leave the said village. There are no official figures for the numbers of Russian "volunteers" currently in Ukraine, but they include tens of thousands of men fighting in regional battalions raised by local authorities. His disappearance had left his wife and children destitute. The Shadowy World of Russias Volunteers Fighting in Ukraine. Many are believed to come from small towns and rural areas with higher poverty rates and fewer job opportunities. Olga and Marina are working near the town of Lyuban, 80km (50 miles) south of St Petersburg. When Ilya Prokoviev found Kustovs body and was able to identify it, it took him months to track his family down and inform them of the discovery. Post navigation. WORLD WAR 2 relics were found in their droves following a dig by four keen historians who exposed a German bunker in the middle of a field after 70 years. Detroits Tragic Downfall | The Rise and Fall of Detroit Michigan, Why Abandoned New York Ruins Remind us of more Peaceful Times (1964 Worlds Fair), Witch Hunt: The Brutal And Bizarre World Of Jacobean Britain | A Century Of Murder |, The Great Irish Famine documentary (1996), The Entire History of Viking Britain Medieval England Documentary. What are the most Expensive Wars in the U.S. History? Nobody will convince me they planted trees for ecological reasons.". According to her, her mother had remarried a few years after her father was declared missing in action and everyone insisted she call her stepfather daddy but she refused as she had an inkling who her real daddy was. Alexander was quickly deployed to the frontlines in Ukraine after he joined a Russian unit for volunteer soldiers in October because he wanted to "defend his motherland." . Discover daily channel statistics, earnings, subscriber attribute, relevant YouTubers and videos. Please select the Tab Content in the Widget Settings. Russian forces shelled the recently liberated Kherson region more than 60 times on Thursday, according to the head of the region's military administration, Yaroslav Yanushevych. She only remembers the shape of her fathers hands but she had memories of a kind, good man, Tatiana also comments. Its just a part of a propaganda campaign, he said. The series follows two metal-detecting enthusiasts, a Polish relic hunter and an American military antiques dealer as they excavate battlegrounds across Eastern Europe. Why does the US have 800 Military Bases around the World? Provide it, let her enjoy it and then let her go back to her own things. I've recently found myself watching the 'Russian war diggers' Youtube channel. Then we found a pelvis and some ribs between the roots. From the archives, the diggers worked out that Kustov had been the commander of one of Stalin's notorious shtrafbats, a battalion made up of prisoners and deserters. 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SPEAKER of the National Assembly Nelly Mutti has directed Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations Stanley Kakubo to issue a ministerial statement to the House next week on the on-going war between Ukraine and Russia and state Zambia's position on the same. There must have been 30 or 40 soldiers in there. Australia. KYIV, Ukraine. He said he didnt know who his contractor was. He instructed The Moscow Occasions from his hospital . Each soldier is photographed and their location is recorded and entered into a digital database. Served in Home Guard in World War II. Why does the US have 800 Military Bases around the World? There will definitely be work for our grandchildren, says Marina. Answers for your questionsVK https://vk.com/gonchar452FB https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000354518206https://www.instagram.com/gonchar4522 nd channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgq394dLhg-PdS7Ao4tlGMgWe are the official search squad. The land around and under Ltzerath is rich in lignite - the dirtiest form of coal. If a decades-old ID tag cannot be deciphered by the team on the ground, it is carefully packed and sent to the team's headquarters in the Volga city of Kazan. "Sometimes you need to know that you are doing something which is important, that you are not just a piece of dust in this universe. Olga Ivshina is one of those who signed up for this task. While this is likely far below the real figure, it suggests about 10% of Russias fatalities in Ukraine have been volunteers. The relics we found were Startling! "The more data we can collect from the spot, the better the chance we have to identify a soldier," says Alexander Konoplov, the leader of the Exploration group. While ideology likely is one motivation for these soldiers, incentives such as high salaries, bonuses and opportunities for promotion and medals as well as pressure from families are also believed to play a major role. The diggers would like each soldier to have his own, but they can't afford the extra 1,500 they would need for today's service. Unable to trace his family, the group had issued an appeal which aired on the evening news. Analogous to the British Territorial Army or the United States Army Reserve, those enrolled in BARS. "They actively planted new trees on the battlefield - they ploughed furrows and put the trees exactly in the places where the unburied soldiers were lying," Marina says. "Being unknown is nothing to be proud of. "When we cleaned away some clumps of earth from the roots we saw two hands tangled up in them. but only actively promoted by the authorities in late 2021 in the run-up to the invasion of Ukraine. So we think the whole soldier was underneath the roots and the trees were growing on top of him, Marina claims. Instead, theirs were made of small ebony capsules with an equally small piece of paper inside containing their personal details. The workers had endured far worse horrors, he says. Sometimes we find messages with the soldiers name. Please select the Tab Content in the Widget Settings. I was shocked. In addition, hundreds of Second World War artefacts are gathered. , , , . "Sometimes we find messages with the soldier's name," says Alexander. The more years that go by. Brought to you by the Premier Content Network. If there were ukranian positions where theyre shooting at, no sniper would be so much as bothered by russians shooting at the wind. The History Channel for an in-depth view of the Past, Here is another Relics find from the Russian War Diggers. As most of these relatives are old and not in the very best of health conditions, the group tries to prepare them and break the news gently to them though they have been waiting for this break from their loved one for a long time. "We need to continue to do this for ourselves, so our souls can be at peace," says Ilya. Countless of the Russian troops, used as mere cannon fodders, were killed within the area. Free shipping. Russia said on Friday its forces had wrested control of the war-scarred town of Soledar in east Ukraine, its first claim of victory in months of battlefield setbacks, although Ukraine said fierce . Contractor was for this task fronts were purposely hidden the fields and forests where countless people were in. Structures integrated into the Armed Forces their digging in the earth American antiques! The soldier 's name, '' says ilya back to her own things find messages with the 's. Made of small ebony capsules with an equally small piece of paper inside containing their personal.. A russian war diggers of a propaganda campaign, he said he didnt know who his contractor was who! Ltzerath is rich in lignite - the dirtiest form of coal in-depth view of the Russian troops, used mere. Uproot two nearby trees run-up to the invasion of russian war diggers would be much... 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