Pro‑war activist raises funds for Russian soldiers’ body bags

A pro-war activist in Chelyabinsk, Russia, organised a fundraiser to purchase body bags for Russian soldiers killed in the war in Ukraine, Radio Svoboda reported on Thursday.

War activist Anna Deryabina organised a fundraiser on Wednesday to purchase body bags for Russian soldiers killed in the war in Ukraine—two hundred roubles per bag (a little over two pounds).

"It's terrible to write about this, but we need bags for 200 deceased soldiers. For transporting the fallen boys. We need a lot of them," the Russian woman wrote on social media. According to the activist, "right now, the boys are buying the bags at their own expense, but their resources are not unlimited."

The necessary funds were successfully raised. The activist announced that the fundraiser is now closed. Radio Svoboda reported that "this morning, after media interest, the activist hid her profile on VKontakte".

Mediazona and the BBC estimate that by August 2024, at least 61,831 Russian soldiers have died in the invasion of Ukraine. The number was estimated based on information available from open sources. However, the Ukrainian military assessed Russia's personnel losses, including the wounded and missing, at over 612,000.

Source: Radio Svoboda