Ryazan, seat of Russia's elite unit, still supports the war in Ukraine

Ryazan, not far from Moscow, regularly sends young men into battle. Some are now buried in the local cemetery, but there is no outpouring of outrage against the Russian leadership.
Even under a heavy blanket of snow, the cemetery of Russian soldiers killed in the Ukrainian war is flooded with colors. The graves are covered with wreaths of plastic flowers and, at each mound, flags representing the dead soldier's unit whip in the wind.
A recent Saturday , a woman named Natalia grabbed a brush and carefully brushed clumps of fresh, sticky snow from her son's crowns. She removed the red carnations she had brought the previous week, now frozen, to replace them with a small Christmas tree she had bought at the entrance to the cemetery.
Natalia comes at least once a week to tend to the grave of her only son, who was killed in the early days of the war, after his group of soldiers invaded Ukraine and attempted to vain to secure the airfield of Hostomel, near Kyiv. What was left of his body arrived in Ryazan several weeks later.
"Even when I am sick, I come here, because I am afraid that he bored." she said of her son, whose remains arrived just before his 26th birthday. She declined to give her last name, fearing reprisals for speaking out.
Many Western opponents of Russia's war in Ukraine expected that mothers like Natalia become the backbone of a wave of outrage. against President Vladimir V. Putin, and evolve into a political force that opposes him. But 10 months into the conflict, that hasn't happened on a large scale - and certainly not in Ryazan, a city of half a million people known for its elite paratroop unit.
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Natalia said she thought the invasion "should have been better planned", to minimize casualties, but expressed no anger at the Russian leadership. "Something had to be done," she said, referring to Ukraine.
ImageSoldiers passing Ryazan Airborne Command School.
ImageThe snowy tomb of a Russian soldier at the Ryazan cemetery, where dozens of those killed in Ukraine are buried.
This kind of continued support was a crucial factor in Mr. Putin to avoid any major backlash on his territory. war, allowing her to double her commitment to pursue her goals in Ukraine.
Natalia was alone in the cemetery during her recent visit, but if the number of soldiers buried there There's an indication there are many more grieving mothers like her. There were at least 20 rows with three fresh graves each.
Yet according to many accounts, Ryazan, home to two military bases, sends its men to war with pride, though some return in body bags.
The city, about 100 miles southwest of Moscow, is particularly proud of its paratroopers. A gargantuan sculpture of their logo along the main road celebrates the town as the “home of VDV”, the...

World Dec 27, 2022 0 55 Add to Reading List

Ryazan, seat of Russia's elite unit, still supports the war in Ukraine

Ryazan, not far from Moscow, regularly sends young men into battle. Some are now buried in the local cemetery, but there is no outpouring of outrage against the Russian leadership.

Even under a heavy blanket of snow, the cemetery of Russian soldiers killed in the Ukrainian war is flooded with colors. The graves are covered with wreaths of plastic flowers and, at each mound, flags representing the dead soldier's unit whip in the wind.

A recent Saturday , a woman named Natalia grabbed a brush and carefully brushed clumps of fresh, sticky snow from her son's crowns. She removed the red carnations she had brought the previous week, now frozen, to replace them with a small Christmas tree she had bought at the entrance to the cemetery.

Natalia comes at least once a week to tend to the grave of her only son, who was killed in the early days of the war, after his group of soldiers invaded Ukraine and attempted to vain to secure the airfield of Hostomel, near Kyiv. What was left of his body arrived in Ryazan several weeks later.

"Even when I am sick, I come here, because I am afraid that he bored." she said of her son, whose remains arrived just before his 26th birthday. She declined to give her last name, fearing reprisals for speaking out.

Many Western opponents of Russia's war in Ukraine expected that mothers like Natalia become the backbone of a wave of outrage. against President Vladimir V. Putin, and evolve into a political force that opposes him. But 10 months into the conflict, that hasn't happened on a large scale - and certainly not in Ryazan, a city of half a million people known for its elite paratroop unit.

Natalia said she thought the invasion "should have been better planned", to minimize casualties, but expressed no anger at the Russian leadership. "Something had to be done," she said, referring to Ukraine.

ImageSoldiers passing Ryazan Airborne Command School.

ImageThe snowy tomb of a Russian soldier at the Ryazan cemetery, where dozens of those killed in Ukraine are buried.

This kind of continued support was a crucial factor in Mr. Putin to avoid any major backlash on his territory. war, allowing her to double her commitment to pursue her goals in Ukraine.

Natalia was alone in the cemetery during her recent visit, but if the number of soldiers buried there There's an indication there are many more grieving mothers like her. There were at least 20 rows with three fresh graves each.

Yet according to many accounts, Ryazan, home to two military bases, sends its men to war with pride, though some return in body bags.

The city, about 100 miles southwest of Moscow, is particularly proud of its paratroopers. A gargantuan sculpture of their logo along the main road celebrates the town as the “home of VDV”, the...