More Buryats have Become Heroes of Russia in Putin’s War than Men from Any Other Federal Subject

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 22 – It was perhaps inevitable given Moscow’s efforts to recruit men disproportionally from non-Russian republics as well as poor but predominantly ethnic Russian oblasts and krays to fight in Putin’s war in Ukraine that a high percentage of those who distinguished themselves in battle would be non-Russians.

            Since the expanded war began in February 2022, Moscow has awarded this honor to 480 men. Of these, soldiers from the Buryat republic have received the most of any federal subject – 19 – with two other non-Russian republics Dagestan and Sakha with 15 being in third and fourth place. The ethnically mixed Transbaikal Kray is in second place with 16 (vostok.today/53724-burjatija-lider-strany-po-kolichestvu-geroev-rossii-za-period-svo.html).

            Moscow may be pleased at this demonstration that non-Russians have displayed such courage in the fighting, but it can’t be entirely happy with the fact that a large share of these Heroes of Russia have not an ethnically Russian face but a non-Russian one. That may be why Moscow media have not played this up while non-Russian republics have.