Five Russians drafted to fight in Ukraine, as part of the mobilization ordered in September, died after joining the army, authorities said on Thursday, after similar announcements that have multiplied in recent days.
Russian officials, however, do not specify the cause of these deaths, nor their location. The press service of the Chelyabinsk region, quoted by the state agency TASSconfirmed the death of five people from this poor and industrial territory located in Western Siberia.
“We will provide all necessary assistance to the family and loved ones of our fallen soldiers,” said the press service, promising to pay one million rubles (16,000 euros) for each deceased. The old woman, a Russian deputy, Maxime Ivanov, had told him that a mobilized man from the Chelyabinsk region had died of a drug “overdose” while he was training to go fight.