The story of a Russian woman who lost her husband in Chechnya and her son in Ukraine

Опубликовано: 30 Сентябрь 2024
на канале: Novaya Gazeta Europe
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“Sasha never did find out what the word ‘dad’ meant”, Vera Maksakova says. She lives in the village of Kuratovo in Russia’s Komi republic. Her son, Alexander Tutrinov, went to a local school which had a plaque commemorating his father, Semyon Tutrinov. The older Tutrinov was a contract serviceman who took part in Russia’s “counter-terrorist operations” in Chechnya, where he was killed back in 2002.

Alexander decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and went to serve in the army. Shortly before the invasion of Ukraine, he signed a military contract — a decision that his mother was against.

Unfortunately, we could not get a comprehensive picture of the fate of the father and son since Vera Maksakova was deeply affected by the loss and felt unwell during our conversation. She was unable to finish the interview.


00:00 — The beginning of the video
01:13 — The life and death of Semyon Tutrinov
04:30 — “Sasha never did find out what the word ‘dad’ meant”
05:25 — “He said: Mum, I’ve signed a contract. I was against it”
06:24 — “24 February they announced the war on TV”
08:41 — The last conversation between mother and son
09:32 — “I was told of my son’s death on 6 July”