Russian warehouse of grief: The silent testimony of war losses
The location entered by the author of the recording posted online appeared to be an industrial warehouse repurposed as a military morgue. A Russian soldier went in to locate the body of one of his acquaintances. He discovered a coffin belonging to a friend, but it was not the one he searched for. There were hundreds of bodies in total within the warehouse.
The recording depicts a vast warehouse resembling an industrial storage facility. Soldiers guard the entrance. The video also shows military personnel and morgue workers wearing white coveralls. Not a single woman is among them. A man in black civilian clothing stands out, likely an employee of a funeral company.
Crates with the inscription "Cargo 200"
The video shows the author navigating a hall with crates labelled "Cargo 200." "Cargo" is a Russian term meaning load, while "200" is a designation for a shipment containing a human body. These types of crates essentially function as wartime coffins.
After locating a series of coffins marked with the label "Irkutsk" (the name of a city in Russia), he begins to read the names of the individuals in the crates.
At one point, he reads the name "Korsetsky," from his comment, it can be inferred that it was someone he knew. He continues to search, expressing his intent to find Parnikov. He departs without finding the body of the acquaintance he was seeking.
As he exits, he passes the soldiers, informing them of his less-than-successful search. As he moves away from them, we hear him say, "What a dreadful stench! I need to get out of here."
The next hall presents more unpleasant sights. There lie the bodies of men on metal beds – some undressed, others in uniforms, and yet others covered with a sheet. It is in this hall that the deceased are "sealed" in coffins. Hence the sound of nails being hammered.
Up to a hundred coffins could be in the video. However, where and when the recording was made is unknown.
Losses among Russians - closely guarded secret
According to independent Russian media, since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine until now, over 74,000 Russian soldiers have died in combat. Recently, more soldiers have been dying than on average in the years 2022 and 2023. However, these figures are believed to be significantly underestimated.
