Siberian village re-dedicates monument to soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Chechnya to ‘warriors killed in local wars and special operation’
The original plaque commemorating locals who were killed in the wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya has been removed from a monument located in Kuytun, a village outside of the Siberian city of Irkutsk.
The local media report that it’s been replaced with a new plaque, re-dedicating the memorial to “warriors killed in local wars and the SMO.” (The authorities continue to deny that Russia is at war with Ukraine, insisting that it must be called a “special military operation,” or “SMO.”)
The new plaque is engraved with a tank marked by a giant letter Z, a symbol of the invasion. Beneath it, the words “DUTY HONOR COURAGE” are engraved in capitals.
The change of dedication suggests that a significant number of locals have been killed in the Ukraine war. While Russia’s Defense Ministry refuses to reveal the figures on Russia’s true losses, indirect evidence like this continues to mount.
