May 07, 2023

DNA Doesn't Lie. Wagner Does.


DNA Doesn't Lie. Wagner Does.
Maxim Yefimov. Anna Yefimova / 7x7

On March 1, Anna Yefimova was informed that her son Maxim, a prisoner who had been doing time for drug possession and who, in September 2022, joined the notorious Wagner paramilitary forces in Russia's War on Ukraine, was killed in action.

In actuality, according to the Wagner officer who contacted her, Maxim was killed in action on December 1, 2022, less than three months after joining the military force, which has become infamous for sending unprepared and often involuntary recruits into meat-grinder battles such as the battle for Bakhmut.

Maxim's body was delivered to the city hospital of Dzerzhinsk in a zinc coffin. The only problem? It was not, as DNA tests would later prove, Maxim's remains.

According to Yefimova, Wagner representatives did not take DNA samples from her, and when she argued for testing to confirm that the body being sent her was in fact her son, the Wagner rep said that they were “not doing that.”

"I was told that the commander of Maxim's unit confirmed his death in a report," Yefimova told 7x7. "The guys who took the body, for some reason, determined that this was the body of Maxim. I asked for these people's contact information, and they told me that they could not provide it.”

When the body arrived, at first the Wagner representative refused to let Yefimova open the zinc coffin, but then relented.

"There was just a piece of flesh," Yefimova said. "It’s hard to understand what sort of body part it was, much less to identify a person. I immediately said I would do a DNA test to confirm if it was him or not."

The Wagner reps threw up a brick wall, saying they didn't have time, that Yefimova had to either sign for the body or refuse it, in which case Maxim would be declared MIA.

“They said it like it was normal. I don't think they cared at all," Yefimova said. "They said that no one acts like I was acting, but on the contrary, everyone is grateful that there is an opportunity to bury the deceased. Many do not even have an opportunity to do that.”

Needless to say, Yefimova refused to sign, and convinced the reps of the need for a DNA test, then independently tracked down a laboratory for the testing – the InLab Genetics laboratory in St. Petersburg.

The DNA test took 13 days, and it concluded that the DNA of Yefimova and the remains had nothing in common.

Snapshot of a DNA Test
Sending in the specimens for DNA testing. / 7x7

Maxim Yefimov had been convicted of drug possession in 2017, and was in a Nizhny Novgorod prison, having served more than half of his seven-year sentence.

"He was framed," Yefimova said in an interview with 7x7, "but he had a good heart, so he did not grass on his friends, and he was sentenced without mitigating circumstances. I also didn’t have money for a good lawyer.”

Then, in September 2022, as part of the Wagner drive to recruit prisoners to fight in Russia's Ukraine War (if they survive the contract term of service, they purportedly will be pardoned of their crimes), Maxim joined the paramilitary outfit. Maxim told his mother of his decision in a two-minute phone conversation in which he gathered his mother's passport information so that his monthly salary could be wired to her.

“I'm sure he wouldn't have gone himself — maybe he was forced or intimidated," Yefimova said. "I don't know. I think that he would never have agreed voluntarily.”

Today, Yefimova is not ready to abandon hope that her son is alive and plans to look for anyone who might have seen her son and know where he fought.

"I still have not even received an answer to the question of where Maxim was and who saw him," Yefimova said. "But, after all, he had been somewhere since September and at least until December he was not alone. I don’t have hope of getting any help from Wagner representatives."

Maxim would have been 25 years old today, May 7.

You Might Also Like

Hired Guns
  • September 01, 2018

Hired Guns

The deaths in July under mysterious circumstances of three Russian journalists in the Central African Republic (CAR) has refocused attention on Russian mercenaries in foreign lands.
Violence Comes Home, Too
  • April 22, 2023

Violence Comes Home, Too

A man from Nizhny Novgorod fought in Ukraine. When he returned to Russia, he killed his wife.
400 Days
  • March 30, 2023

400 Days

On this, the 400th Day of Russia's War on Ukraine, we gather and share some telling data.
The Wizard and His Little Wagners
  • March 09, 2023

The Wizard and His Little Wagners

The Wagner Group's new youth club sponsors pro-militaristic activities and suggests it undertakes recruitment by hypnosis.
Death Awaits Them
  • October 12, 2022

Death Awaits Them

"Honestly, they will all die there." – Kirill, a Russian soldier who has fought in Ukraine offers a grim prognosis of what awaits the new mobilized recruits.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Russia Rules

Russia Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
22 Russian Crosswords

22 Russian Crosswords

Test your knowledge of the Russian language, Russian history and society with these 22 challenging puzzles taken from the pages of Russian Life magazine. Most all the clues are in English, but you must fill in the answers in Russian. If you get stumped, of course all the puzzles have answers printed at the back of the book.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
The Little Humpbacked Horse

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
The Best of Russian Life

The Best of Russian Life

We culled through 15 years of Russian Life to select readers’ and editors’ favorite stories and biographies for inclusion in a special two-volume collection. Totalling over 1100 pages, these two volumes encompass some of the best writing we have published over the last two decades, and include the most timeless stories and biographies – those that can be read again and again.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
PO Box 567
Montpelier VT 05601-0567

802-223-4955