Russia Military claim they have Captured the Town of Soledar Ukraine's Donbass Defense System Collapsing Ukraine Russia Latest w/ Col Doug Macgregor Ukraine. "But the skeletons were all mixed up and smashed. "What those diggers have achieved means so much to me. problems or delays with payments and other benefits and some said they did not know with whom they had signed contracts. Early in the war, Amsterdam's former alderman Marieke van Doorninck called for action to get off Russian gas, which created a community-wide effort called 15% GasTerug, . They successfully brought a sense of semblance of order into a picture of moral chaos in Russias history and were able to pay homage to those who lost their lives to WWII. We are engaged in the search and burial lost Red Army soldiers/ If we can to know their names, we looking for relatives and bury them on their native land with all. The diggers found their grandfather's ID tag in the mass grave. The most experienced member of the Exploration team, Ilya Prokoviev, carfully pokes the ground with the use of a long spike made of metal. When a name does come out, the diggers then pore over old army lists, classified documents and military as well as police contacts to discover the soldiers identity correctly and locate his surviving family members. , . Olga Ivshina walks slowly and carefully through the pine trees, the beeps of her metal detector punctuating the quiet of the forest. The relics we found were Startling! Tatiana and Lyudmilas elderly mother was shocked when she heard his name, Alexander Golik, being announced; the family had been left desolate because of his disappearance. At no point did we hear any fire from the "Ukranian Side", all fire was from them shooting out into nothing. 4th March 2022. Marina and Olga are just two of the many volunteers of the Exploration group who journeyed 12 hours via an army truck just to get to the forest located near St. Petersburg. She didn't get a penny and she had four children to raise," says Lyudmila. You are no longer the same person you were before.". Tatiana Uzarevich and Lyudmila Marinkina, twin sisters in their early 50s, have travelled from the remote region of Kamchatka - nine hours away by plane. Local. Remembering diggers' plight in Russia Posted Wed 28 Apr 2010, 8:32pm Updated Wed 28 Apr 2010, 9:28pm The presence of Australian troops in Russia during the Russian Civil War is something that most Australian are unaware of, but an Australian author and a Russian historian are trying to change that. The soldiers are waiting for us waiting for the chance to finally go home.. Alexander has a strict set of guidelines about how the remains should be excavated, labelled and stored. You have been unsubscribed from our newsletter. 898K views 7 years ago VICE International S1 E23 In World War 2 thousands of soldiers were killed on the border of Germany and Russia. Some men also told The Moscow Times that they joined volunteer battalions because it gave them greater choice over their commanders and fellow soldiers. The Shadowy World of Russias Volunteers Fighting in Ukraine. The work can be dangerous, too. WORLD WAR 2 relics were found in their droves following a dig by four keen historians who exposed a German bunker in the middle of a field after 70 years. KYIV, Ukraine. Brought to you by the Premier Content Network. Here, the teams technician,Rafik Salakhiev, employs digital imaging and ultraviolet light to bring faded pencil marks to light. Alexander was quickly deployed to the frontlines in Ukraine after he joined a Russian unit for volunteer soldiers in October because he wanted to "defend his motherland." . In the spring they will resume their searches in the forests and fields where so many were slaughtered. "They had managed to restore historical truth and honour their father's memory," says Ilya. There are no official figures for the numbers of Russian "volunteers" currently in Ukraine, but they include tens of thousands of men fighting in regional battalions raised by local authorities. January 17, 2023 3:38 AM. The Diggers were a small group who preached and attempted to practise a primitive communism based on the claim that the land belonged to the whole people of England. As of recent times, diggers have uncovered 2,000 remains. Diggers discovered a mass grave in the area last summer. Australia's oldest person. He said he didnt know who his contractor was. HH calls for an end to Russia, Ukraine war. They had managed to restore historical truth and honour their fathers memory. Two civilians. 1. During World War Two, Soviet soldiers' ID tags were not made of metal - they were small ebony capsules containing a small piece of paper for their personal details. Little is known about the social background of the men volunteering in Ukraine, but a high percentage reportedly have military experience and many fought in eastern Ukraine in 2014, when Russia backed a separatist uprising against Kyiv. She only remembers the shape of her fathers hands but she had memories of a kind, good man, Tatiana also comments. Our team. By Julia Malunga, 6th May 2022. General Assault Badge Medal bars 1939 Iron Cross 1st Class SS Porzellanmanufaktur Allach 1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class Helmets Tank Assault Badge 1914 Iron Cross 1st Class What is it worth? Nevskaya Dubrovka, on the banks of the River Neva, was the scene of one of the bloodiest campaigns of the Leningrad siege. "She only remembers the shape of her fathers' hands - but she had memories of a kind, good man," says Tatiana. Military Summary And Analysis 17.01.2023, US and Japan prepare for Conflict with China, As West sends more Armor to Ukraine, Why Turning the Tide is still Fantasy, Dnipro Toll at 35 Ukraine Slams Russians Cowardly Silence Croatia Calls Out NATO Proxy War, US Marines The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit Rapid Response. It was 1983, I was 40km from Leningrad and there lay the remains of a soldier who hadn't been buried. "When we cleaned away some clumps of earth from the roots we saw two hands tangled up in them. I was shocked. She has spent most of her holidays being a volunteer body hunter far away from her home, business and her young son for the past 12 years. Military Summary And Analysis 17.01.2023, US and Japan prepare for Conflict with China, As West sends more Armor to Ukraine, Why Turning the Tide is still Fantasy, Dnipro Toll at 35 Ukraine Slams Russians Cowardly Silence Croatia Calls Out NATO Proxy War, US Marines The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit Rapid Response. The most experienced digger has been in this business for almost 30 years already. "My mum was so hungry all the time, she begged the other kids for pieces of bread at school. You are no longer the same person you were before.. As much as the diggers would have wanted for each soldier to have his own coffin, the extra 1,500 they would have needed for that days service kept them back they simply do not have the means to provide that. World War One is known for the advent of trench warfare, with opposing forces pitched against one another from dug-in positions. In less than three months, the advancing German army had encircled the city and started pounding it from the air. St. Petersburg, known that time as Leningrad, was one of the said campaigns main targets. This work connects us to our past. Don't post low-effort comments like joke threads, memes, slogans, or links without context.. Don't forget about our discord server, as . Many of these men apparently believe the Kremlins messaging that Moscow is battling Nazis who control Kyiv and are waging a genocidal campaign against Russian-speakers. After that there were more and more and more, and we realized these bodies were to be found everywhere and on a massive scale.. Reportedly, there have been other diggers from different groups who have lost their lives while in volunteering mission elsewhere in Russia. "We need to continue to do this for ourselves, so our souls can be at peace," says Ilya. It's those one-to-one connections, particularly with refugees, that May has sought with Ukrainians as a way to help the country in the midst of war. My heart pulls me to do this work, she says. Olga and Marina are working near the town of Lyuban, 80km (50 miles) south of St Petersburg. What those diggers have achieved means so much to me. When, in 1942, people in First Lt Kustov's home village heard he was missing, they suspected him of deserting and collaborating with the Germans. I am not surprised that Peter Schumann and the Bread and Puppet Theater cannot bring themselves to blame the obscene genocidal Russian attempt to destroy Ukraine as a nation . We [just] wanted to go and join our guys.. "The more data we can collect from the spot, the better the chance we have to identify a soldier," says Alexander Konoplov, the leader of the Exploration group. Others were left blank because many soldiers were superstitious - they believed filling in the forms would lead to certain death. Ancient Wars. In this location, measuring just a mere 10 square kilometers, about 19,000 soldiers were killed in a span of days in 1942. Post navigation. All iron similar to. The governing council of the USSR issued decrees in 1963 about destroying any traces of war, says Ilya. He was one of the soldiers buried in the mass grave as the diggers found his ID tag in the location. The remains are decomposing and it is getting harder to find the bones, ID tags and army kit." 9.8K subscribers in the russiawarinukraine community. They are not buried very deep, she comments then adds, Sometimes we find them just beneath the moss and a few layers of fallen leaves. For the past 12 years she has spent most of her holidays like this, far away from home, her maternity clothes business, and her young son. . Alexander lets his team follows through a strict set of protocol when it comes to every discovered remains how they must be excavated, labelled and stored. Independent military analyst Pavel Luzin said units like BARS were being mythologized in order to help create the illusion that there is popular support for the war in Ukraine. "A bit further away, I found a Soviet helmet. Due to this fact there is now a group known as the "Black Diggers" who make it their mission to illegally dig up the lost remains of German and Russian soldiers in order to sell any military artefacts they happen come across. When we told them that we had found their fathers remains, for them the feeling was just indescribable. @russianwardiggers3815 2.64K subscribers Subscribe Home Videos Playlists Community Channels About Videos Play all 27:02 Found incredible german stuf, Searching WW2 relics 2.6K views1 year ago 23:27. Please select the Tab Content in the Widget Settings. Then I scraped away some moss and saw a soldier. I was crossing a swamp when suddenly I saw some boots sticking out of the mud, he recounts. Home; Ancient History. Russias volunteer body hunters individuals who are willing to devout their time and effort to scouring previous WWII battlefields to look for the remains of missing soldiers; their act aimed to giving them a proper burial and a name. Nearby, Marina Koutchinskaya is on her knees searching in the mud. Experts said that coverage of volunteer battalions has also been used by the Kremlins propaganda machine to create the impression that ordinary Russians are willing to fight and die in Ukraine. But while personal items can build up a picture of the person, they can't help find his name, or place of birth. They are part of a group called Exploration who have travelled for 24 hours in a cramped army truck to get to this forest near St Petersburg. , , . . . Discover daily channel statistics, earnings, subscriber attribute, relevant YouTubers and videos. Sure, there are lots of girls who look for rich guys just to get some money out of them. Another major motivating factor is money. But discovering who they were is not always easy, especially after so much time has passed. The workers had endured far worse horrors, he says. There will definitely be work for our grandchildren," says Marina. A number of volunteer fighters have described problems or delays with payments and other benefits and some said they did not know with whom they had signed contracts. 20th Century Battlefields Documentary Series (2007), Al Murray's Road to Berlin Documentary Series (2004), America : The Story of the US Documentary Series (2010), Andrew Marr's History of the World Documentary Series (2012), Apocalypse: Stalin Documentary Series (2018), Apocalypse: The Rise of Hitler Documentary Series (2013), Battle Stations Documentary Series (2000), Battlefield : Vietnam Documentary Series (1999), Britain's Biggest Warship Documentary Series (2018), Britain's Bloodiest Dynasty Documentary Series (2014), Britain's Bloody Crown Documentary Series (2016), Churchill's Bodyguard Documentary Series (2005), Crusade in the Pacific : World War 2 Documentary Series (1951), Liberty, The American Revolution Documentary Series (1997), Pacific : The Lost Evidence Documentary Series (2005), Russia's Lost Princesses Documentary Series (2014), The Big Picture Documentary Series (1964), The Complete History of the Second World War Documentary Series, The Conquerors Documentary Series (2005), The Hitler Chronicles Documentary Series (2018), The Inca: Masters of the Clouds Documentary Series, The Lost Evidence Documentary Series (2004), The Pacific War in Color (2018) Documentary Series, The Road to War Documentary Series (1989), The Unknown War Documentary Series (1978), Tony Robinson's History of Britain Documentary Series (2020), Wings of the Luftwaffe Documentary Series ( 1992), World War 1 in Colour Documentary Series (2003), World War II in Colour Documentary Series (2009). A un-biased source of news, analysis, discussion and investigative journalism of Russia's war Why does the US have 800 Military Bases around the World? In an area nearby, MarinaKoutchinskaya bends on her knees and searches through the mud. It's amazing to see such rare items found in remarkable condition. However, the attempts to get the city by storm proved unsuccessful so Hitler opted for another tactic starving it. "Let's try to enhance purple colours on this yellow paper," he says. 5 Most Mysterious Abandoned Military Bases, World War 2 Tank Pulled From Bog After 60 years, 15 Of The Greatest Warrior Cultures From History, British Union of Fascists March October 3rd 1937, Archival Footage 1950s British Railways Trains Signaling. The relics we found were Startling! According to an independent media site in Russia, they reported on Friday, December 14 that Russia is digging in for the long haul in occupied areas of Ukraine. The mine, a bleak and dull brown man-made canyon which stretches over 35 square kilometres, yields 25 million . January 16, 2023 2:48 AM. However, many aspects of a volunteers legal status are unclear. Please select the Tab Content in the Widget Settings. Soldiers are regularly discovered with their grenades still in their backpacks and artillery shells can be seen sticking out of the trees. She recently unearthed a helmet and in order to find its owner, the team had to uproot two nearby trees. Read about our approach to external linking. The History Channel for an in-depth view of the Past, Here is another find by Russian War Diggers. They live off on primal conditions for their task wading in waist-deep mud at times just so they could find the bodies of those who have fallen decades ago during WWII. He then added that Russia focused on rebuilding the war-torn country immediately after WWII ended. This claim was supported by the interesting historical argument that William the Conqueror had 'turned the English out of their birthrights; and compelled them for necessity to be . There must have been 30 or 40 soldiers in there. The series follows two metal-detecting enthusiasts, a Polish relic hunter and an American military antiques dealer as they excavate battlegrounds across Eastern Europe. Violators will be banned. Additionally, it was just two decades after WWII. The diggers now believe that some were deliberately concealed. $390.00. The question is, how could the workers go through and plough through a land with a tractor when they could visibly see it littered with the bodies of the dead, unburied soldiers? Nobody will convince me they planted trees for ecological reasons.". The more years that go by. | Medieval Compilation. This is the culmination of months of work by the volunteers. She even says that there are times she feels her job as a journalist is pointless, a different feeling she gets from when she is in the forest digging bodies out where she feels she is doing a very important task. As Ilya puts it, workers at that time were afraid of going jobless if they refused to do the task at hand. 'Prying rifles out of the ground, after uncovering one end', could be a very risky, and short lived, occupation. June 22, 1941 the day when Hitler launched his Operation Barbarossa, the biggest and bloodiest drive throughout military history which aimed at adding huge areas of USSR to Germanys Third Reich. Russias newly created 3rd Army Corps, for example, was made up of volunteers and given modern equipment before reportedly being. and bonuses for destroying enemy aircraft or tanks. "They are not buried very deep," she says. - Russian war diggers 974K subscribers Join Subscribe 44K 10M views 3 years ago Answers for your questions Often I am asked. Many of their bodies were never found. 2023 BBC. I cant tell you how grateful I am, she emotionally says as her eyes fill with tears. For seven decades, the only link she had with him was a black and white photo of their former family home. Volunteers can receive as much as 300,000 rubles ($4,175) a month several times higher than average salaries in rural regions. Here you have a head there a leg She pauses and gazes at the fire. According to Valery Kudinsky, the defense military official tasked with the war graves, there was no time to bury the fallen soldiers while at the heat of the battle. On 22 June 1941, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, the largest and bloodiest campaign in military history, aimed at annexing vast areas of the USSR to the Third Reich. We are true patriots, said Alexander, 31, who declined to provide his surname. It's like an anchor which helps us to stay in place even during a storm.". The Observers - India: Mob attacks church in a wave of anti-Christian violence. The soldiers may have been thrown into the pit by their comrades or local villagers as a hasty form of burial, or even by the German Army, anxious to prevent an epidemic among its troops. Raynaldo explained . Please keep it civil. Served in Home Guard in World War II. St Petersburg, then known as Leningrad, was one of his main targets. While this is likely far below the real figure, it suggests about 10% of Russias fatalities in Ukraine have been volunteers. On the battlefield in Ukraine, volunteers fight alongside regular soldiers, men drafted during the Kremlins partial mobilization announced in September and Wagner Group mercenaries. Nevskaya Dubrovka, located on the banks of the River Neva, had been the setting of one of the bloodiest chapters of the Leningrad campaign. Nazi War Diggers, which was also pulled from its schedule by Foxtel in Australia in 2015, consists of four one-hour episodes during which the excavation team traces, exposes, and recovers the remains of Russian and German soldiers killed in action. Finding the dead is not the sole mission of the diggers. The workers had went through far worse horrors than ploughing through lands with human remains strewn about. The children, grand-children and great-grand-children of the soldiers they unearthed look on, some quietly sobbing. I've known my guys my whole life, Alexander said, referring to his BARS unit and the local men with whom he volunteered. They branded his young son and daughter traitor's children and the family were forced to leave. ", Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook. The ceremony acted as the culmination of the diggers months of hard work. One of these is Valentina Aliyeva who came to bury the father she had not seen since she was four years old. WWII 159,726 views Jul 14, 2016 Almost 30 million Russians lost their lives in World War. They try to rid these unknown soldiers their anonymity. Discover short videos related to russian war diggers on TikTok. "The fact that he was missing in action meant that my grandmother was not entitled to any of the financial support given to other relatives after the Great Patriotic War. Some wrote, If I am killed, please pass this on to my girlfriend or my mum. You cant help feeling touched by it, Alexander adds. The belief was that if the family lent him a few coins, he would come home to repay the loan. Near River Nevas banks and close to the mass grave the diggers found, a Russian Orthodox priest says prayers while walking around the bright red coffins placed on the grass as the relatives -children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren of the identified soldiers the diggers have unearthed watched, some openly shedding their tears. Yet as machine guns roared overhead at troops unable to advance over no man's land, the only remaining way to undermine the enemy was by digging extensive tunnels beneath their trenches - and filling them with explosives. "Once you've seen that, you'll never forget it. There will definitely be work for our grandchildren, says Marina. When her friends in Moscow complain about not being able to afford a good enough car or designer clothes, she feels alienated. They are not interested in identifying the soldiers - they just leave the bones in the ground. "The principles are very clear, we do not support war in any way as government. Ilya, a former army officer, found his first soldier in a walk through the countryside 3 decades ago. At that time, individuals who didnt have jobs in Soviet Union were non-persons living as if they didnt exist; nobody wanted to be like that, thus, they were forced to go through with the job. Report rulebreaking comments for moderator review. Every spring, summer and autumn I get this strange sort of yearning inside me to go and look for the soldiers. Come spring, they will resume their digging in the fields and forests where countless people were killed. They are also often eligible for one-off sign-on. Here you have a head - there a leg" She pauses and stares into the fire. Near a naked flame its still dangerous, even though it has been lying in the ground for 70 years, she pointed out. Soviet Naval Dagger W/Sheath In Box. Freedom Russia Legion 5.20.2022: "During the battle, two servicemen of the 76th Infantry Division of the Russian Armed Forces were taken prisoner. Once youve seen that, youll never forget it. $450.00. Olga Ivshina is one of those who signed up for this task. After that there were more and more and more, and we realised these bodies were to be found everywhere - and on a massive scale.". But I refused - I knew who my real dad was," she says, her eyes filling with tears. Sometimes you need to know that you are doing something which is important, that you are not just a piece of dust in this universe. They do not stop on that. "Everything seems so pointless - even my job as a journalist - and sometimes I think, 'What am I doing?' Please take the time to read our policy about trolls and the rules. The grave appeared to be hastily prepared by the Russian soldiers, villagers or even the German troops in a move to prevent an epidemic from occurring with the dead just thrown in unceremoniously. In times of war, they can be deployed. So we think the whole soldier was underneath the roots and the trees were growing on top of him, Marina claims. Fallen soldiers have oftentimes been found with grenades still in their backpacks and there are also artillery shells sticking out of the trees. History relics ww2. Archaeologists complained about its methods after seeing a preview. These teams are known as the "white diggers", but there are. Sadly, the papers are often illegible. In WWII, soldiers of the Soviet Union had no metal ID tags. Thunberg was held while protesting at the opencast coal mine of Garzweiler 2, some 9 km (5.6 miles) from the village of . We start to see some letters". From the archives, the diggers worked out that Kustov had been the commander of one of Stalin's notorious shtrafbats, a battalion made up of prisoners and deserters. Russia's Lost Princesses - Documentary Series (2014) Walking Through History - Documentary Series (2013) Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire - Documentary Series (2006) Royal Secrets - Documentary Series ( 1996 ) Military History Naval History Battlefield Mysteries Military Museums Military Generals Roman Military Wars War Documentaries They are still lying where they fell. Why does the US have 800 Military Bases around the World? KYIV, Ukraine. Read about our approach to external linking. RAYNALDO, 61, from Illinois, USA, met his partner Ronyea Keyaira, 27, online. His disappearance had left his wife and children destitute. An eternal flame may burn at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow but for these volunteers, the best means to honor those who have fallen during WWII is to give them back their identities. They knew that he hadnt just deserted, that he couldnt have behaved like that, but there was never any proof until 60 years later, he recounted. In just three months the German death machine covered more than 2,000km (1,250 miles) of our land. Player View Grid View 20/20 1 /20 palehorse95 Uploaded 02/07/2012 182 Ratings 83,577 Views 181 Comments 18 Favorites Russia has been accused of hiding evidence of war crimes as videos showed the destruction of a theatre in Mariupol. They are still lying where they fell. But here, on the dig, I feel we are doing something which is needed.". Kustov's children took his remains and buried them next to their mother, who had waited her whole life for her husband to return. The team's technician, Rafik Salakhiev, uses ultraviolet light and digital imaging to reveal the faded pencil marks. Four layers of people one on top of the other," says Olga, as she sits by the campfire. About 20 BARS units their numbers boosted by fresh volunteers are currently in Ukraine, according to Telegram channels and group chats seen by The Moscow Times. We just had to come to this reburial service to visit the place where he died and accompany him to his final resting place.. Little is known about the social background of the men volunteering in Ukraine, but a. reportedly have military experience and many fought in eastern Ukraine in 2014, when Russia backed a separatist uprising against Kyiv. A Day in the Life of a Medieval Barber aka Budget Surgeon!? Recently, she was able to unearth a helmet and in order for them to find its wearer, the team had to pull out two trees nearby. We are the official search squad. Next Post: Winter Arctic Cruise of USS Skate (SSN-578), 1959. 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A lot of countries had been scarred because of WWII but no other suffered loss as much as the Soviet Union did. Because of these suspicions, his young son and daughter were branded as children of a traitor and his family was forced to leave the said village. Most terrifying Heavy Weapons of the US Military in the Future ( Video ), The End of a Superpower The Collapse of the Soviet Union, Boiling and Burning Alive: A Medieval Punishment of Searing Pain, Death by Pressing and Crushing: A Medieval Punishment Youd Want to Avoid, 65 Medieval Facts, Beasts, Torture Methods, Jobs & MORE! Thirty-five people have been killed in a missile attack on an apartment building in Dnipro; a Russian national who is reportedly a former high ranking member of the Wagner Group is seeking asylum . Among the crowd of relatives, also, wereTatiana Uzarevich and Lyudmila Marinkina, twin sisters in their 50s who have traveled for nine hours via plane from the remote area of Kamchatka into the site to pay their last respects to their grandfather. Please select the Tab Content in the Widget Settings. Check - Russian war diggers YouTube statistics and Real-Time subscriber count. Detroits Tragic Downfall | The Rise and Fall of Detroit Michigan, Why Abandoned New York Ruins Remind us of more Peaceful Times (1964 Worlds Fair), Witch Hunt: The Brutal And Bizarre World Of Jacobean Britain | A Century Of Murder |, The Great Irish Famine documentary (1996), The Entire History of Viking Britain Medieval England Documentary. Director Tikhon Kornev Writers Aleksey Karaulov Evgeny Kolyadintsev Tikhon Kornev Stars Roman Evdokimov Anna Vasileva Alyona Savastova See production, box office & company info Watch on Tubi Even if they have been waiting for a long time.". In the van sat his crew of six diggers and a flatulent 150-pound Italian mastiff named Bagram, all of them violently jostling back and forth on the bumpy road while Rebecca Black's song Friday. Throughout the seven decades that passed, the only connection she had with with the lost dad she longed for was a black-and-white photograph of their old family home. There are no official figures for the numbers of Russian volunteers currently in Ukraine, but they include tens of thousands of men fighting in regional battalions raised by local authorities and given names like Tiger, units of Cossacks and Russias so-called Special Combat Army Reserve. Once a name emerges, the diggers use old army lists, classified documents and contacts in the military or police to identify the soldier precisely and to locate surviving members of his family. They are persistent to continue until every fallen man has been found though that could take a lifetime of work. Russian War Diggers : We found a huge Pit with Soldiers & German things from WW2 Relics Find Here is another Relics find from the Russian War Diggers Skip to content Of the estimated 70 million people killed in World War Two, 26 million died on the Eastern front - and up to four million of them are still officially considered missing in action. Diggers from other groups elsewhere in Russia have lost their lives. Putin last month signed a law recognizing volunteers as war veterans mandating generous pensions and said in September that employers should guarantee volunteers jobs for when they return to civilian life. A sad fact,though, is that most of the time, writings in these papers are illegible. Website production by Catherine Wynne. Four layers of people one on top of the other, Olga recalls as she sits by the campfire. They knew that he hadn't just deserted, that he couldn't have behaved like that, but there was never any proof until 60 years later.". But the skeletons were all mixed up and smashed. She views her volunteering as a digger a moral compass at times. Local. Russian War Diggers : We found a German Dugout. Alexander was quickly deployed to the frontlines in Ukraine after he joined a Russian unit for volunteer soldiers in October because he wanted to defend his motherland.. But how could anyone - farmers or workmen - get on a tractor and plough over land littered with human remains? When even money and patriotism are insufficient to inspire Russians to sign up to fight in Ukraine, its time to bring out the big guns such as food ISTANBUL Alexander, 23, remembers panic-buying a ticket from St. Petersburg to this Turkish metropolis shortly after Russia launched its invasion Russian volunteers and mobilized men preparing to leave for training. "Sometimes we find them just beneath the moss and a few layers of fallen leaves. 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Every new search gets to me as if it was the first one, says Rafik. Alexander, who ran his own business selling food products before becoming a full-time digger, is holding a bullet case plugged with a small piece of wood. or Best Offer. John Campbell Ross. She employs the help of her metal detector as she scans the forest, walking slowly, carefully and thoroughly under the pine trees; only the sound her instrument makes breaks the silence of the surroundings. When they were unable to trace his family, the group put out an appeal on the evening news. It took Ilya Prokoviev months to track them down. The death toll from a weekend Russian missile strike on an apartment building in southeastern Ukraine climbed to 41 on Tuesday after the body of a child . Our country allowed volunteers to participate in hostilities for the first time, Sergei Fomchenko, a military commander who fought in Ukraine in 2014 and set up the high-profile BARS 13 unit earlier this year, said in August. under the umbrella of the Defense Ministry and have command structures integrated into the Armed Forces. Russia's defense ministry said in a statement that as a result of the negotiation process, 50 Russian soldiers captured . So far the diggers have found 2,000 bodies. It was the main event of their lives, I think, Ilya commented. Our grandfathers fought against the Nazis in World War II and now we are fighting against Nazis in Ukraine, said Vladislav Malov, 47, a volunteer who recently returned to his hometown of Nizhnekamsk in the Russian republic of Tatarstan. Crossing Continents is broadcast on Thursdays at 11:00GMT. That's what life was like in the Soviet Union." Valentina Aliyeva is here to bury the father she has not seen since she was four years old. After the war, a gay bar called 'Diggers' even opened in Sydney. Free shipping. "When we told them that we had found their father's remains, for them the feeling was just indescribable. Sergei Krivenko, the head of Citizen, Army & the Law, an NGO providing legal assistance to Russian soldiers, confirmed that BARS fighters often lacked proper contracts although he said he did not know whether this was intentional or merely the result of incompetence. Here, in an area of just 10 sq km, an estimated 19,000 Soviet soldiers were killed in just a few days in 1942. Australia. This looked like the best place for this topic. Kustovs children took his remains and buried it next to their mothers grave who had spent her lifetime waiting for his return. "My mother remarried some years later and everyone told me to call my stepfather Daddy. Its just a part of a propaganda campaign, he said. She first got in touch with a woman named . Lived in Bendigo, Victoria. "Sometimes we find messages with the soldier's name," says Alexander. Russian authorities have actively encouraged volunteers to join the military since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. These teams, who look for the soldiers bones, are called white diggers differentiating them from the black diggers those who dig through and search for metals, guns, coins and even gold teeth which they then sell to specialist dealers or online but leave the bones on the ground. With four children to raise, times went tough for the widowed woman. But the key is usually an ID tag. While ideology likely is one motivation for these soldiers, incentives such as high salaries, bonuses and opportunities for promotion and, There are no official figures for the numbers of Russian volunteers currently in Ukraine, but they include tens of thousands of men fighting in, raised by local authorities and given names like . Jan 15 2023, 6:10 AM. But this second mission is not that easy especially since as much as seventy years have passed since the war. Immediately after the war, the priority was to rebuild a shattered country, he says. Now there is a group of \"Black Diggers\" that illegally dig up the remains of German and Russian soldiers to sell the military artifacts they find.Up Next: The Celebrity Millionaires of Competitive Gaming - http://bit.ly/eSports-P1China's Elite Female Bodyguards - http://bit.ly/Elite-Female-BodyguardsWatch more stories from the global VICE family: http://bit.ly/VICE-INTL-Click here to subscribe to VICE: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICECheck out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/VICE-VideosVideos, daily editorial and more: http://vice.comMore videos from the VICE network: https://www.fb.com/vicevideosLike VICE on Facebook: http://fb.com/viceFollow VICE on Twitter: http://twitter.com/viceRead our Tumblr: http://vicemag.tumblr.comFollow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/vice Warring countries, Russia and Ukraine have carried out a prisoner exchange with a total of 100 soldiers returning to their respective home countries, according to authorities from both countries on Sunday, January 8. In addition, hundreds of Second World War artefacts are gathered. The diggers hold a different belief for them, some of the countrys WWII battle fronts were purposely hidden. , units of Cossacks and Russias so-called Special Combat Army Reserve. Olga and Marina are working in an area near the town of Lyuban which is just 80 kilometers away from St. Petersburg going south. They are visibly moved, some even looking up the sky, as each red coffin is carried past them to be buried. Military Summary And Analysis 10.01.2023 Ukraine Faces "Tougher Assaults" in Soledar, 700 Russian Troops Killed, US to Send Stryker Vehicles? Just as the number of volunteers in Ukraine is impossible to verify, it is also difficult to know how many have been killed. 3 June 2009 (110) Last Australian digger and the last veteran of any status to serve Australia in the conflict. 20th Century Battlefields Documentary Series (2007), Al Murray's Road to Berlin Documentary Series (2004), America : The Story of the US Documentary Series (2010), Andrew Marr's History of the World Documentary Series (2012), Apocalypse: Stalin Documentary Series (2018), Apocalypse: The Rise of Hitler Documentary Series (2013), Battle Stations Documentary Series (2000), Battlefield : Vietnam Documentary Series (1999), Britain's Biggest Warship Documentary Series (2018), Britain's Bloodiest Dynasty Documentary Series (2014), Britain's Bloody Crown Documentary Series (2016), Churchill's Bodyguard Documentary Series (2005), Crusade in the Pacific : World War 2 Documentary Series (1951), Liberty, The American Revolution Documentary Series (1997), Pacific : The Lost Evidence Documentary Series (2005), Russia's Lost Princesses Documentary Series (2014), The Big Picture Documentary Series (1964), The Complete History of the Second World War Documentary Series, The Conquerors Documentary Series (2005), The Hitler Chronicles Documentary Series (2018), The Inca: Masters of the Clouds Documentary Series, The Lost Evidence Documentary Series (2004), The Pacific War in Color (2018) Documentary Series, The Road to War Documentary Series (1989), The Unknown War Documentary Series (1978), Tony Robinson's History of Britain Documentary Series (2020), Wings of the Luftwaffe Documentary Series ( 1992), World War 1 in Colour Documentary Series (2003), World War II in Colour Documentary Series (2009). For more than two years, the Red Army fought desperately to cut through German lines. feed; Telegram Channel; Telegram Group; The History Channel. Initials scratched into spoons and bowls are good. SPEAKER of the National Assembly Nelly Mutti has directed Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations Stanley Kakubo to issue a ministerial statement to the House next week on the on-going war between Ukraine and Russia and state Zambia's position on the same. "Being unknown is nothing to be proud of. But nature is working against us. "Some wrote, 'If I am killed, please pass this on to my girlfriend or my mum.' Rescuing them from anonymity is the other. There are no official figures for the numbers of Russian "volunteers" currently in Ukraine, but they include tens of thousands of men fighting in regional battalions raised by local authorities and given names like "Tiger," units of Cossacks and Russia's so-called Special Combat Army Reserve. "Black Diggers" Dig Up, Repair, and Sell WWII Weapons Featured 02/09/2012 Groups in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus operate around areas where firece battles were fought in WWII digging up and selling long ago dropped weapons. Transcript Here is a video from the Russian War Diggers where the Germans Hurriedly threw their Equipment in the River. LUETZERATH, Germany (Reuters) -Climate campaigner Greta Thunberg was detained alongside other activists on Tuesday during protests against the demolition of a village to make way for a coal mine expansion but was released after an identity check, according to police. Analogous to the British Territorial Army or the United States Army Reserve, those enrolled in BARS receive salaries and take part in regular military training while retaining their civilian jobs. , - Sony FDR-AX100E- Sony HDR-PJ650E-Action Cam Sony FDR-X3000R -GoPro Hero 7 Tesoro TejonGarret AT ProGarret Pro pointerGolden Mask Deep Hunter Pro 2 , , , , , , , , , , , excavation, WOT, , treasure, , gagarin, , wot, world of tanks, , , , , , , , , , , 2017, , , , , , , , , ww2, dig "Our grandfathers fought against the Nazis in World War II and now we are fighting against Nazis in Ukraine," said Vladislav Malov, 47, a volunteer who recently . Based on the information they gathered from the archives, the diggers found out Kustov was one of Stalins commanders tasked in leading his well-knownshtrafbats,a unit made up of deserters and prisoners. Alexander, who was business owner before he devoted his whole time being a digger, found a bullet case stopped up with a small piece of wood which he hoped was an improvised ID tag. Conditions are basic - they camp in the woods - and some days they have to wade waist-deep through mud to find the bodies of the fallen. Sometimes they find old coins with the soldiers, given to them by their families. "When you call the relatives, before telling them the news, you try to prepare them. Russia was one, if not the country with the most casualties during WWII. Many are believed to come from small towns and rural areas with higher poverty rates and fewer job opportunities. Most terrifying Heavy Weapons of the US Military in the Future ( Video ), The End of a Superpower The Collapse of the Soviet Union, Boiling and Burning Alive: A Medieval Punishment of Searing Pain, Death by Pressing and Crushing: A Medieval Punishment Youd Want to Avoid, 65 Medieval Facts, Beasts, Torture Methods, Jobs & MORE! The remains are decomposing and it is getting harder to find the bones, ID tags and army kit.. A former army officer with a droopy blonde moustache, he found his first soldier 30 years ago while walking in the countryside. I was shocked. But when he turns it upside down in his hand, what comes out of it is not a roll of paper, but a trickle of brown liquid. But attempts to take the city by storm fell through, so Hitler decided to starve it into surrender. Russian War Diggers : We found a German Dugout. We signed some papers, but it wasnt with the Defense Ministry, Alexander told The Moscow Times. Many of the relatives are now elderly and may not be in good health. "My heart pulls me to do this work.". Hope we see you again! , , , . Russian war diggers (Youtube) Firstly, apologies if this has already been the subject of discussion elsewhere. Russias Volunteer Body Hunters and the Grave Sites theyre able to dig up. In particular, BARS is more flexible on age restrictions. Near River Neva's banks and close to the mass grave the diggers found, a Russian Orthodox priest says prayers while walking around the bright red coffins placed on the grass as the relatives -children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren of the identified soldiers the diggers have unearthed - watched, some openly shedding their tears. We are the ones who made him unknown, declares Ilya. Over 50.000 collectables have changed hands at ratisbon's since the auction house was founded in 2015. But tracing a soldier's family can take years - on occasions more than a decade - especially if the family moved after the war. Alexander was shortly deployed to the frontlines in Ukraine after he joined a Russian unit for volunteer troopers in October as a result of he wished to "defend his motherland." One month later, he was badly injured by artillery hearth close to the Ukrainian village of Makiivka amid intense preventing within the east of the nation. This is nowhere remotely close to Bakhmut. . The Great War - Documentary Series (2010) A mobilized soldier doesnt know his comrades when he goes to the front.. Plus, it was less than two decades after the war. There are so many unburied soldiers, it will take decades to find them. We are engaged in the search and burial lost Red Army soldiers/If we can to know their names, we looking for relatives and bury them on their native land with all the honors.All iron similar to weapons and ammunition we give away to police. We are engaged in the search and burial lost Red Army soldiers/ If we can to know their names, we looking for relatives and bury them on their native land with all the honors. But when he turned it upside down in his hand, a trickle of brown liquid came out instead of a roll of paper leaving him a little disappointed. Here is another Relics find from the Russian War Diggers. In times of war, they can be deployed. We do battlefield archeology only around Volgograd, at such places as the airfield Pitomnik and Gumrak, Gorodische district, Ezhovka, Peskovatka, Vertachiy, Orlovka, Rossoshka villages etc. The less information there is. Russian War Diggers : The Germans Hurriedly threw their Equipment in the River WW2 Relic Hunters Here is a video from the Russian War Diggers where the Germans Hurriedly threw their Equipment in the River If one crouches down in the woods near Lyuban, streaks of trenches can be made out clearly in the earth. 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