Strelkov: The Kremlin found a way to conceal military losses in Syria
The former Minister of Defense of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Igor Strelkov (aka Igor Girkin), while commenting on a post by a LiveJournal blogger in which the blogger expressed surprise of non-existent losses of Russian military in Syria, pointed out the usage of mobile cremation chambers by the Russian military.
“There is nothing to be surprised of [the lack of the statistics on losses in Syria]. Most of the auxiliary operations in Syria are carried out not by regular Russian soldiers but by mercenaries from private military companies [PMC]. According to available information, those who sign up with a PMC, prior to being sent to Syria, sign a contract in which one of the paragraph states that in case of the contractor’s death in Syria, the contractor agrees for his body to be cremated right on the spot. “No body, no criminal case”- this Russian investigative principle is being creatively used in the military campaign. Considering other paragraphs of the agreement (non-disclosure of anything that has to do with military operation etc.), it is possible to dispose of a considerable number of bodies without anyone noticing. What can I say? There has never been such cynicism in our country “ Strelkov wrote.
Strelkov is a Russian army veteran who played a key role in the early stages of the war in eastern Ukraine. Authorities in Kyiv say that the self-described Russian nationalist and imperialist is a retired colonel of the GRU (Russia’s external military intelligence organization). Strelkov was dismissed as Defense Minister of the so-called DPR in August of 2014.