May 13, 2025

Silent Casualties of the War


Silent Casualties of the War
MLRS "Grad" with the symbol of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, Wikimedia Commons.

Since the start of Russia’s War on Ukraine, at least 17 accidents involving military personnel have occurred in Belgorod Oblast, resulting in at least 32 deaths. Some incidents involved abandoned combat vehicles left without reflective markings, while others involved serious traffic violations or suspected intoxication. The independent outlet Regionalnye Aspekty (Regional Aspects) reported on several of the victims’ stories and their struggles.

Regionalnye Aspekty reported that most accidents stemmed from military personnel violating traffic laws while operating vehicles.

On February 7, 2025, a BMW X7 SUV driven by Marine Ramazan Gadzhimuradov crashed into an ambulance in central Belgorod while doing more than 150 kilometers per hour (93 mph). The impact hurled the ambulance into a utility pole and a building. Paramedic Olga Lyubimova and her colleague, Marina Parovyshnik, died at the scene.

According to online records, the vehicle involved had received more than 90 traffic violations over the past two years, mostly for speeding. Lyubimova’s relatives believe that all three occupants of the BMW — the driver and two passengers — were intoxicated, though no official confirmation has been released.

In April 2024, two Belgorod residents, Denis Tolmachev and Alexander Komarov, died in a crash involving a military truck. The men were driving a KamAZ carrying tar when the military vehicle  emerged from a curve in violation of traffic rules. It collided with another vehicle head-on, trapping Tolmachev and Komarov in the cabin, which then caught fire. Both died, leaving behind three children each. During the investigation, military personnel admitted they had tried to "slip through" the turn, knowingly breaking traffic rules.

Another frequent factor in the accidents is the lack of reflective signs on military vehicles. The deadliest known incident occurred in October 2022 in the Shebekinsky district, when a van carrying sawmill workers crashed into a parked military fuel truck that was unlit on the roadside. Ten people, including the van’s driver, were killed. The driver was found at fault.

Alcohol also appears to be a recurring factor. In June 2024, paramedic Maxim Barkalov was returning home when a self-propelled howitzer emerged from a forested area and ran over his car. Barkalov was trapped for over 90 minutes until residents were able to pull him free. Witnesses said the soldiers involved were intoxicated and initially blocked rescue efforts. Only after one bystander began filming did the soldiers leave, allowing civilians to assist. The soldiers reportedly fled the scene.

Barkalov ended up spending several months in the hospital and was discharged as an invalid. Trying to bring the culprits of the accident to justice, he contacted various authorities, but in vain.

In another incident in July 2024, a tank ran over the car of agronomist Konstantin Lopatkin. “It flew out, just crushed him, and that’s it,” said his stepdaughter, Natalya. Despite his extensive injuries, a forensic report listed the cause of death as a “heart rupture” rather than a traffic accident. Natalya, who now lives in Kazakhstan, said she is struggling to seek justice due to financial and geographic barriers. Initially, the soldier involved faced three years in prison, but the possible sentence has since been reduced to 18 months.

“We will not achieve any justice,” said Natalya.

Olga Lyubimova’s family is facing similar difficulties. Gadzhimuradov, the driver in the February 2025 crash, was transferred to the Burdenko military hospital in Moscow. Doctors have reportedly declared him medically unfit for investigative procedures, halting the investigation. There has been no further official comment. Another soldier in the BMW, Murad Musayev, has since been discharged from the hospital and returned to the frontlines.

According to Regionalnye Aspekty, nearly all the military-linked accidents have yet to result in criminal charges. Most cases are still under investigation, and penalties so far have been limited to administrative fines for traffic violations.

Notably, on August 5, 2024, following several high-profile incidents, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced the creation of a regional government commission to address military-related accidents. He called for weekly reviews, faster responses, and stricter accountability. However, there have been no public updates on the commission’s activity since that announcement.

You Might Also Like

Russian Soldiers Want Peace
  • May 08, 2025

Russian Soldiers Want Peace

Independent outlet Verstka interviewed Russian soldiers about a potential ceasefire and the objectives of the war.
With Prayers and Drones
  • April 28, 2025

With Prayers and Drones

Dozens of Orthodox military-patriotic clubs across Russia prepare children for war.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
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.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
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.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

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
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955