Russian officers accused of burying young conscript's suicide: report

15 February 2023

Russian army commanders allegedly attempted to cover up the death of a twenty-year-old conscript who committed suicide while in training to be dispatched to Ukraine, The Daily Beast reported on Wednesday.

"Sergei Gridin was found hanged earlier this month in his base outside Moscow by fellow service members—who managed to snap a photo of the suicide note he left before commanders arrived and swept the whole incident under the rug, according to multiple reports," wrote Editor Allison Quinn. "The independent outlet Siren reports that Gridin’s family confirmed his suicide and the contents of his note. His death came shortly after he said he’d been told he was being sent to the battlefield in Ukraine."

Gridin is one of eight Russian servicemembers who have taken their own lives to avoid being sent to fight in President Vladimir Putin's "special military operation," which began on February 24th, 2022, and has proven to be a historical military blunder.

As a result, the Kremlin has been implementing "partial mobilization orders" as Moscow's battlefield losses accumulate amid little progress on the ground.

The Beast pointed out that "numerous reports have emerged in independent media about young conscripts, many of whom are students, being tricked into going to the front line under false pretenses. All Russian men aged 18-27 are required by law to register for conscription, but they are not considered professional troops and are prohibited from being deployed to war zones without at least four months of training."

Furthermore, The Wall Street Journal noted that "Russia has deployed nearly its entire army in Ukraine, increasing pressure along the front line in the east of the country but falling short of a breakthrough."

For Gridin, though, the grim reality of what is becoming a grinding war of attrition between Russia and Western-armed Ukraine – rife with allegations of war crimes – was too terrifying to face.

"I don't want to submit to people who inspire nothing but fear and disgust. You didn't manage to break me and you already never will. That's why I decided to die here on native land without others' blood on my hands," Gridin stated in his farewell letter, which was "confiscated" by his superior officers, whom he accused of stealing his will to live.

“I would like them to be imprisoned for driving a person to suicide," Gridin said, "but in Russia that is not practiced.”

The Daily Beast's full report is available at this link (subscription required). The Wall Street Journal's is here.

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