news knocked unannounced at Rosa Vorsugina’s house in the village of Lumbusji in Russian Karelia. We had found his son Yevgeny on a list of killed Russian soldiers. A list compiled by a Russian in exile. It would not have been easy to find someone who would talk to us. Two families of dead soldiers elsewhere in Karelia had already withdrawn from interview arrangements. But Rosa opened. She lives in a simple wooden house, typical of Karelia. The republic is located in the far east of Russia, on the border with Finland. The house has unpainted exterior walls, two floors and four apartments. Dogs and cats dance around visitors, both outside and inside. Many such houses now stand partially empty in the village of Lumbusji in Karelia. There are no jobs, and the young people have left. Photo: Jurij Linkevitsj / news Asked about characteristics At the beginning of December, Rosa’s second son received a phone call from the defence, says the mother. They wanted to know if Yevgenij had any special characteristics. Tears roll, and Rosa pauses between words as she tells. The dead man’s face was so full of splinters that it was impossible to recognize him. The defense learned that Jevgenij had tattoos. Then there was no doubt that the 44-year-old would never come home on holiday, as other soldiers in the neighborhood had done. Left out of hopelessness, Rosa shows us a picture of her son in uniform. A burly, middle-aged man with a Kalashnikov AK12 machine gun in his hands. A mobile photo sent by a fellow soldier was now put in glass and framed. – Why did he enlist as a contract soldier? – Out of hopelessness, replies the mother. Rosa with a picture of her son Yevgeny Vorsugin. It is unclear whether the photo is from the camp where they trained or from the front in Kherson in Ukraine. Photo: Jurij Linkevitsj / news Rosa says that her son often changed jobs. When he became unemployed again, he didn’t know what to do. Then he enlisted and left. Didn’t discuss with his wife In a corner of the small living room stands Jevgenij’s widow, Irina. She stands fully dressed, with a bubble coat and hat. So far she hasn’t said anything. Rosa nods in her direction, for her to say something. – He just came home and presented me with the facts – that he was leaving. He had already bought a bus ticket, so the next morning we followed him to the bus, says the widow. This was 7 October last autumn. The husband had not even discussed the matter with her. On the last day of October, he called to say that he was being sent to Kherson. There he was to serve in a storm troop at the front. That was the last time they heard from him. Less than a month later he was dead. As a contract soldier, he earned ten times more than in his last job as a guard. He was to receive an amount equivalent to NOK 23,000. But it was only a month and a half, and it can take half a year before the widow’s pension starts to arrive. Irina Vorsugina was never consulted about whether her husband should enlist as a contract soldier. She says there was no point in protesting. Photo: Jurij Linkevitsj / news Didn’t get to see Jevgenij Relatives usually get to see the deceased in an open coffin. Not so with Jevgenij. – He came home in a closed metal coffin, made of zinc. They said he was so injured we couldn’t see him. The whole body was covered in splinters, says Rosa. She takes us to her son’s grave. The wreaths with plastic flowers are covered in snow, but the grave lies beautifully to itself in the cemetery in the forest. Jevgenij’s grave is by itself in the cemetery in the forest near the village. A handful of others have also gone to war from here, but he is so far the only one killed. Photo: urij Linkevitsj / news – Gutten min. My ray of sunshine, says Rosa and points a little at the Russian flag that sits at the top. Biscuits and chocolate The widow, the widow’s parents and a neighbor are also there. They have biscuits and chocolate. The goodies are placed in a cavity under the flowers. – He was very fond of biscuits and chocolate, says the mother. – And macaroni, adds the widow. It is common in Russia to bring something good to the deceased. Or cigarettes, if the person concerned used to smoke. Died in vain – I didn’t want him to die in vain, says Rosa as we stand looking at her son’s grave. – Do you think he did it? – Yes, she answers quietly. news asks what she thinks about the war. At first she doesn’t quite know what to say. But then the answer comes in cash. – It is our children who die. For what? So Rosa just shakes her head and looks down. Rosa Vorsugina says she hadn’t given much thought to the fact that he might die in the war. But he only got three weeks of training before being sent to the front. Photo: Jurij Linkevich / news No official figures The Russian defense does not report the number of killed and wounded in the war. But the BBC in Russian and the opposition online newspaper Mediazona gather information from social media and Russian local newspapers. The latest overview is from 16 February. Then there were 44,654 names on their list of dead. The real figure is probably much higher. The Russian authorities would rather not have the local media publish overviews of the number of “heroes” killed. Photo: Gro Holm / news Listen also:
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Russian Yevgenij managed to be a soldier for one month – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
