After Deadly Syrian Battle, Evidence of Russian Losses Was Obscured

By Maria Tsvetkova and Anton Zverev

In Yelenovskoye, Russia, Grigoriy Gancherov and his wife last heard from their son, a Russian private military contractor fighting in Syria, on February 4 of the previous year. A few days later, Grigoriy learned from a fellow fighter that his 25-year-old son, Sergei, had died in a significant battle against U.S.-led forces in the Deir al-Zor region.

It wasn’t until mid-April that Grigoriy received formal notification of Sergei’s death, along with his body. A death certificate stated that Sergei had died on March 7, although his father learned he had actually been killed in battle a month earlier.

Grigoriy’s experience is one of several instances identified where the Kremlin-linked private military organization responsible for recruiting fighters returned bodies after extended delays—more than seven weeks in some cases. The official documents, as reported by those familiar with the deceased, often contained incorrect details about the circumstances of their deaths.

Relatives stated that the battle in Deir al-Zor occurred overnight on February 7, which aligns with a pattern of heavy casualties that the Russian government sought to downplay at the time, presumably to manage public perception during President Vladimir Putin’s re-election campaign.

Reports indicate that approximately 100 Russian military contractors may have been killed during the Deir al-Zor confrontation, but the Russian foreign ministry has claimed that only a few Russian citizens lost their lives, rejecting the notion of significant losses.

According to information shared with Grigoriy, Sergei was near his friend when their position came under attack. The friend, who was injured, informed Grigoriy of Sergei’s death while being evacuated to Russia.

Grigoriy plans to replace the wooden cross at his son’s grave, inscribed with the date on the official death certificate, with a gravestone reflecting the actual date of the Deir al-Zor battle.

This clash marked the first significant direct engagement between U.S. and Russian forces since the Soviet Union’s dissolution and was the only known instance of private military contractors participating in combat in Syria early last year.

In multiple cases identified, death certificates issued for returned fighters record dates in late February or March, well after the actual events of the battle. Families were instructed not to discuss the specifics of their loved ones’ deaths by the recruiters who notified them.

The Kremlin has declined to comment on the incidents involving Gancherov or the other fighters. A spokesman suggested that claims about the delay in death certificate issuance were unfounded and stated that he was unaware of any discrepancies in the death certificates or delays in the return of bodies.

The Russian military has reportedly used private contractors in Syria to support the Assad regime, but the government denies deploying such personnel and instead refers to them as volunteers.

During the Deir al-Zor battle on February 7, Russian fighters attempted to advance on an oil refinery held by Kurdish forces, prompting a significant retaliatory air strike by the coalition forces. A military contractor who survived the assault claimed to have recognized some of the fallen comrades, even noting that two of them had been returned to their families with death certificates indicating later dates.

Colleagues surmised that the delayed returns and discrepancies in the death documents resulted from the high number of casualties and media attention monitoring the arrivals at an airport used by the private military firm.

The situation surrounding the delayed notifications and incorrect documents starkly contrasts with the more typical timelines observed in prior years, where bodies were usually returned to families within two to three weeks accompanied by accurate documentation.

The Russian consulate in Syria oversees the registration of civilian deaths, with each death certificate designated a serial number starting from the year’s beginning. Reports indicate that over 60 death certificates were issued by the consulate in early 2022, with at least 33 documented in the weeks following the election.

The events described paint a picture of a troubling pattern within Russia’s engagement in Syria, raising questions about accountability and transparency regarding the operations of private military contractors and the government’s handling of casualties among their ranks.