The Russian army has not given any loss figures since March 25. Despite everything, the Russian authorities regularly decorate victims of the war in Ukraine, and use their image for propaganda purposes. Currently, their portraits are displayed in more than 200 cities of Russia.
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In Russia, the power celebrates with great fanfare of communication and propaganda those it calls the “heroes of Russia”. By this, understand: the soldiers who are currently fighting in Ukraine.
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If Moscow has not given any loss figures since March 25, and the latest official death toll is therefore 1,351 dead, despite everything, the Russian authorities regularly publish tributes, decorate victims of the war in Ukraine, and use their image to propaganda purposes. Currently, we can see their portraits displayed in more than 200 Russian cities.
You can’t miss them on the big avenues that surround Moscow, or in all the big cities of Russia. Huge panels present the photo of a soldier with his name, his rank… And a slogan: “Glory to the heroes of Russia”. According to the Russian media, some were killed in action, others wounded…
Everyone is entitled to a page on the website of the Ministry of Defense, and public television tells their feats of arms daily in the television news, where one can hear messages of this ilk: “And the new hero of the Russian army is Corporal Nikolai Ligostaiev, a mechanic-driver of the self-propelled artillery division. Risking his life, he rescued his companions and drove their vehicle to safety…“
This tradition of heroes dates back to the Soviet Union, which raised thousands of soldiers to this honor during World War II. In the center of Moscow, portraits of heroes of the “great patriotic war”, as it is called, are installed alongside those of soldiers fighting in Ukraine. In some schools, plaques have also been installed in playgrounds bearing the names of former students killed in action in Ukraine.