Opposition Politician in Moscow: 220 Russian Soldiers Killed in Ukraine War

Boris Nemtsov, a prominent critic of the Russian government, visited Lia Yashin on the evening of February 25 to seek assistance in completing his recent investigation. This investigation was a sensitive report on the covert involvement of Russian soldiers in the war in Ukraine. Two days later, Boris Nemtsov was shot dead near the Kremlin while returning home. According to this report, at least 220 Russian soldiers have now been killed in the war in eastern Ukraine. The report that Nemtsov could not complete has now been finished with the help of a group of opposition activists and Russian journalists led by Lia Yashin. She told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, "After Nemtsov's murder, once the shock of the incident wore off, I realized that completing and publishing this report was the best way to honor and take responsibility for a friend who was murdered." The report, titled "Putin and the War," is set to be officially published on May 12. However, a version of the report has already been provided to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on the condition that its contents remain undisclosed. Lia Yashin stated, "We faced significant challenges. The printing houses have been pressured. Therefore, widespread printing of this report on time requires special effort and operations. We have experience with such problems. I believe we will solve them." Fear of Speaking Yashin and her colleagues were initially unsure if they had enough raw materials and content to complete the report. Boris Nemtsov had outlined the main themes and directions of the report. He had gathered evidence regarding the presence of the Russian army in Ukraine and had interviewed the families of several Russian soldiers killed in the battles in Ukraine. However, most of this small archive disappeared after his assassination. Five individuals from the North Caucasus have been arrested on suspicion of Nemtsov's murder. However, critics of the Russian government are concerned that the facts surrounding this assassination may never be revealed, as further investigations could lead to very close circles within the Kremlin. After Boris Nemtsov's assassination, investigators seized all his manuscripts, contact books, computers, and archives. Lia Yashin said, "During the first week, our entire effort was to gather the documents that the investigators had taken with them. He had left a copy of these documents with his colleagues and staff." Some of these documents are short handwritten notes and scattered notes by Boris Nemtsov. For example, a short handwritten note that he gave to his assistant Olga Shurina on the afternoon of the day he was assassinated. This note was apparently written on paper to avoid eavesdropping on their conversations. In March, this note was provided to Reuters, which stated: "Several personnel from the paratrooper units have contacted me. Seventeen have been killed, they haven't been paid, but for now, they are afraid to speak." Russia has consistently denied the claims of the Ukrainian government and Western countries regarding its military assistance to Ukraine and the involvement of Russian armed forces in the battles in Ukraine. Lia Yashin stated that she and her colleagues managed to contact all the individuals Boris Nemtsov had spoken to, but none were willing to participate in the report under their names. Yashin added, "You can imagine that after Nemtsov's assassination, they were extremely worried. They provided us with important information but absolutely refused to make these statements public. We tried to convince them that speaking publicly would be much safer for them than having secret conversations with us. But it yielded no results. This wall of fear was the biggest problem we faced." The report is set to be presented to journalists and political activists on May 12 at the headquarters of the party that Nemtsov co-founded. Most of the themes of this report, like Nemtsov's other reports on financial corruption and the Sochi Winter Olympics, are based on official and public statistics and reports in Russia. A group of journalists and opposition activists have participated in compiling this report, including Lia Barabanov from the "Kommersant" newspaper, who has produced significant articles on the war-torn eastern Ukraine, and Lev Schlossberg, a member of the liberal Yabloko party in Pskov. Nemtsov's assassination on February 27, 2015, affected many, especially in Moscow, and the next day, tens of thousands participated in a rally. Even now, people leave bouquets at the spot where he was murdered. Nevertheless, polls show that the majority of the Russian people support Vladimir Putin's policies in Ukraine. However, Lia Yashin is confident that the publication of this report will have a significant impact. She said, "Given that they have tried in various ways to prevent even the publication of a few copies of this report, its widespread release will provoke many reactions. We realized that we are hitting a point that is more painful for the government than any other." "The goal of this report is to expose the lies. The government claims that Russian troops are not on Ukrainian soil. But we say they are. Exposing Putin's lies will be very painful for him."