Cemetery for fallen soldiers in Siberia sees surge amid Ukraine conflict

Over the past nine months, the cemetery of fallen soldiers near Irkutsk in Siberia has doubled. According to the local Ludiej Baikala service, a significant portion of the newly buried had prison sentences, reflecting establishing a designated section for Wagner Group members.

For the past two and a half years, a war has been ongoing in Ukraine, where, according to official government data, approximately 3,000 residents of southern Siberia die daily. This is particularly well illustrated by the expanding cemetery for fallen soldiers near Irkutsk, which has more than doubled over the past nine months.

As it turns out, due to the extensive recruitment in penal colonies throughout Siberia, at the beginning of 2023, the Wagner Group chose the cemetery near Irkutsk to bury their fallen. Many more began arriving after the offensive on Bakhmut.

Due to the Wagner Group's purchase of land next to the "Avenue of Heroes" at the cemetery, mercenary graves quickly began to appear. The number of graves increased from 66 to 140, most of which were previously in a penal colony.

According to the Ludiej Baikala portal, nine of those buried were convicted of murder, and three of them had committed it against their parents. Among those buried, there were also thieves, drug dealers, and individuals who had attempted to kill someone. The record holder was Alexander Browchenko, who was to serve 21 years in prison.

The longest sentence we discovered in the Avenue of Heroes was to be served by Alexander Browchenko. In 2013, he was sentenced to 21 years in prison for stabbing three people, including two women, and seriously injuring another during a drunken argument over jealousy, the portal notes.

Out of nearly 74 people buried in the last nine months, only 12 were recorded as official war casualties. For the rest, it is still possible that their families do not know about their death or burial site.