Under gray skies and incessant rain, the small town of Bogoroditsk, 240 kilometers south of Moscow, bids farewell to Igor Skoubko, killed in Ukraine. Celebrated as a “hero”, the young soldier was mowed down by “fate”.
Under the gaze of the saints featured in the frescoes that adorn the local church, the body of the 23-year-old soldier lies in a closed coffin, contrary to Orthodox custom, draped in red linen. Igor Skoubko was killed on March 11 in Ukraine, where Russia has been leading an offensive for more than a year.
“We pray for the repose of the soul of the deceased and for his sins, voluntary or involuntary, to be forgiven”, pronounces an old priest with a white beard.
The little church is full and part of the audience had to stay outside in the rain.
The casket is then taken away, escorted by a police car and an ambulance, for burial.
At the cemetery, on the outskirts of Bogoroditsk, a small town of barely 30,000 inhabitants, a small alley already has five graves covered with wreaths of artificial flowers with photos of smiling young men in military uniform.
“Alleys of Glory”, as they are called in Russia, which are now found in many Russian cities.
About fifty people accompany the coffin, walking in the mud, the family members in tears.
The mayor of Bogoroditsk, Vadim Igonin, gives a short speech, carefully avoiding mentioning the word “war”, banned by the Russian authorities on pain of prosecution.
For Mr. Igonine, the young soldier was a victim of “fate”. “We accompany in his last trip Igor Skoubko, who perished while fulfilling his military duty, participating in the special military operation”, he formulates.
“He had the joy of living, he was strong and ambitious. He had to live and live, but fate decided otherwise. May the earth be sweet to him”, adds the mayor.
“Our country is holding up thanks to guys like him, thanks to their courage and their heroism,” said regional military commissioner Alexei Chakhov.
For this sacrifice, the authorities give in a wooden box a posthumous decoration, the Order of Courage, to the widow of Igor, in tears.
None of the relatives wished to speak during the ceremony. Only sobs mingled with the sound of rain. The coffin was placed in the grave to the sounds of the Russian anthem. The soldiers fired three rounds.
In another small town, Efremov, 80 kilometers south of Bogoroditsk, populated by 37,000 inhabitants, Vadim Artiushkov and his wife Elena came to meditate at the grave of their son.
Alexei was killed at 42 on November 6 near Bakhmout in eastern Ukraine, an industrial city that has been the epicenter of fighting for months and the scene of immense destruction and heavy casualties on both sides.
“He left as a volunteer” to fight in Ukraine, “he drove a Tiger armored vehicle, and was very proud of it,” says Vadim.
Residents of Efremov learn of the losses “with pain and regret”, he adds. But “no one can say that it should not be done”, he is convinced.
In the cemetery of this city, one can count at least 11 graves of soldiers who have perished since the beginning of the Russian offensive in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. And the gravediggers are digging a new one, “for a soldier” , according to them.
On a road at the entrance to the city, two large posters with photos of the deceased, the same names as at the cemetery and the inscription: “Glory to the heroes of Russia!”
Russian authorities have not revealed any casualty toll in Ukraine since September 2022, when the Defense Ministry reported 5,937 soldiers killed.
According to Western estimates, the Russian forces could count more than 150,000 dead and wounded in their ranks.
03/26/2023 08:25:03 – Bogoroditsk (Russie) (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
