Recently, the media has drawn attention to the fact that among the Russian military units that suffer the greatest losses in Ukraine, there is also a formation from the Republic of Dagestan – they are mostly fighting in Donbas. The journalists have investigated the presence of servicemen of the 136th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade in Ukraine and have found out that there are both dead and those who have not appeared on social media for a long time among them. But there are also survivors.
This is stated in the investigation of Slidstvo.Info – this video has English subtitles.
The Republic of Dagestan is a subject of the Russian Federation, which is a part of the North Caucasus Federal District, bordering Azerbaijan and Georgia.
One of the largest military units, which is located on the territory of Dagestan, is the 136th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade. A month and a half ago, the Chief Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine published a list of several thousand servicemen of this brigade.
It is worth noting that soon after that this list was shared in the community of the 136th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade on the social network “Vkontakte”. Probably, after that, the Russians deleted everything from their online profiles on social networks and became more careful. Despite this, the journalists still managed to identify several servicemen from Dagestan.
It should be noted that a week ago the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported huge losses of the 136th Brigade in Donetsk oblast.
“The battalion tactical group of the 136th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, which was operating in the direction of Kurakhivka, suffered significant losses in manpower (up to 250 people) and also lost up to 10 units of rocket and tube artillery systems,” the report says.
At the same time, the Security Service of Ukraine intercepted a phone conversation of the occupier, who claimed that the Dagestanians were fleeing the battlefield, saying that “this is not their war.”
Judging by the list published by the intelligence, the commander of the 136th Brigade is 45-year-old Colonel Roman Demurchiev. Russian propagandists themselves confirmed his participation in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine. According to propaganda media, Demurchiiev is skillfully fighting Ukrainian nationalists.
Another person on the list is Senior Lieutenant Tazhyb Kurbanov, the Deputy Company Commander for the Military and Political Matters.
Less than a month after the invasion of Ukraine, his relative reported the death of the occupier near Mariupol. He was 33 years old. The Ukrainian project “Ishchi Svoikh” (“Look for Your Own”) soon published the bloodstained documents of Kurbanov.
Despite the fact that the online page of Tazhyb Kurbanov is inactive, journalists have found a profile of his lifelong friend, where there are many photos of the occupier.
Another dead Dagestanian is Private Husein Iraskhanov. As it was written in local communities, he was killed in Ukraine “during a special operation.” Judging by the list of HUR, he would have been 27 years old in summer.
The journalists have also identified a number of servicemen of the 136th Brigade, whose death in Ukraine has not been confirmed yet. For example, the Chief of Staff is the Deputy Commander of the Division of the 136th Brigade Pavel Khoroshailov. He is nicknamed as “Pasha Barynov” in “Vkontakte”. He uses his real name on Facebook. Khoroshailov is 33 years old and is a major.
The journalists have called the Khoroshailov’s number. The man who answered the phone did not feel like talking to them. Then he shared a screenshot of the message having the following content: “According to preliminary data, the Major Pavel Khoroshailov heroically died on the territory of Ukraine during a special military operation”.
On the page of Khoroshailov’s sister Polina in “Vkontakte”, journalists found a photo of the soldier wearing a uniform with a chevron of the 136th Brigade. Polina Khoroshailova also published a photo of her holding the Soviet flag near the bust of Lenin.
Also, the journalists of Slidstvo.Info have identified Pavel Khoroshailov’s brother Oleksandr, who indicates Kyiv as the place of his residence in his social networks and also expresses a pro-Ukrainian position.
Also, probably, Junior Sergeant Oleksandr Holovko from Rostov oblast took part in the hostilities on the territory of Ukraine as part of the 136th Brigade. He is the Head of the Hardware. A month ago, he would have been 23 years old.
Interestingly, the last time Holovko visited his page in “Vkontakte” was on February 18th, a week before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It is likely that the Russian will never visit it again. However, the confirmation of the death of the Russian military has not been found yet.
The parents of the occupier do not share any information about their son on their social networks. At the same time, Holovko’s mother shares all sorts of propaganda posts in support of the war in Ukraine. And his father comments on the posts in the community of the 136th Brigade in “Vkontakte” and assures him that if there was mobilization, he would be the first to go to the draft board.
24-year-old Driver Aleksey Zahoruiko was online almost a month ago. He is a private. The Russian has restricted access to his page in “Vkontakte”. However, the journalists found many photos of him on the social networks of his relatives and acquaintances.
The Russian’s wife also shared a lot of photos with him. And a month after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she posted a poem. “Wait, I’ll come back. I will crawl to you being the newest and alive. I will exalt your expectation to the red sky. I will save myself from the knife, grenade launcher, and bullet wounds.”
Sergeant Vladislav Bezrukov from Astrakhan oblast has also restricted access to his page. But, unlike the Russian we told about before, he was online relatively recently. Judging by the list of HUR, Bezrukov holds the position of Commander of the Department. The Russian mother actively shares posts in support of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine on her social networks.
Slidstvo.Info was able to get off the phone with the serviceman’s mother. Olga Bezrukova did not confirm the participation of her son in the war in Ukraine. But she also did not deny his presence here.