On April 9, two Russian servicemen were killed in a mortar attack by Islamist militants in Syria. According to the Ministry of Defense, the contract soldiers, together with a Russian military adviser, were in one of the units of the Syrian troops. And they were shooting instructors. Another soldier was seriously wounded in a mine explosion. Now doctors in the hospital are fighting for his life.
His relatives, friends and colleagues told MK about one of the dead, 34-year-old Igor Yuryevich Zavidny.
Igor Zavidny was from Novotroitsk, Orenburg region. Classmates remember well two cheerful, smiling brothers - twins Igor and Zhenya Zavidnykh.
“Igor was born 10 minutes earlier than me,” says his brother Evgeniy. “We were always together, we didn’t share anything, we had everything in common. We did karate together, then skiing. They were very friendly, one whole. It's very difficult for me now. I have no other siblings. After school, Igor and I entered the metallurgical technical school. But my brother couldn’t study there, probably he just wasn’t interested, he went to a vocational school and received a degree in auto mechanics. Then we were both drafted into the army. But both got a reprieve. I went to college in Buzuluk, and Igor damaged his ligaments. Then he said: “I will go to serve.” He underwent training in the Perm region, and then served in Omsk, in the railway troops.
— Do you have military members in your family?
— My great-grandfather fought in the Great Patriotic War, my uncle was a military man.
— How did Igor become a sniper?
— After military service, he got a job at a metallurgical plant. Then he said: “I’ll go to Chechnya under a contract.” There he first served as an armored personnel carrier driver, then became a machine gunner and then a scout sniper. I was on business trips in Dagestan and Ingushetia. It was his business. He found himself in the military field. After three years of contract, he returned from Chechnya, tried to work somewhere in security, but quickly got bored. And he decided to join the army again. I went to serve in a military unit in Totskoye, where I trained special forces guys. I want to say that Igor was a patriot and loved Russia. I never served for money.
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— Did Igor have a family?
— He has a son, Maxim, from his first marriage. For the last 4 years, he lived with his common-law wife Elena and helped raise her two daughters. After his return from a business trip to Syria, they planned to sign.
— Did you have a premonition that trouble might happen to your brother?
- Nothing foreshadowed trouble. Igor and I talked on Skype the day before. He had two days left before the end of his business trip. On April 11 he was supposed to return home.
— Did your colleagues tell you under what circumstances Igor died?
“Their group provided cover for the sappers. Suddenly a mortar attack began. They were already returning to their location, and just there the mines began to explode. Although they were all wearing bulletproof vests, a shrapnel hit my brother in the back, under the armor plate.
“Igorek, you were a wonderful commander, and just a great person, without you the company will be empty,” writes Evgeniy. “Now no one will shout: “Red, you’re smoking again, and there’s only one puff left to live like this...” We were so waiting for you to return in full force... Alas, fate decreed otherwise. Sleep well, we will remember you."
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“Igor, you were essentially my brother. You are the best commander. I will never forget our heart-to-heart conversations for hours in our dresses,” writes Vladimir. - In a year and a half, you have become a dear person to me. I remember your jokes and laughter all the time. I remember how we angered Vitka with the phrase: “What do you mean?..” I remember everything: the competition, the rain, the tower and when we drank coffee. I remember Yekaterinburg, Khabarovsk and Samara. I remember the cold, extreme loads, wet uniforms and your advice. All this will remain in my heart. May you rest in peace."
Friends note Igor’s decency and honesty. “He was the right guy. And that says it all,” says friend Oleg about him.
“Igor was a soldier of his country, he fought against terrorists who spread death for all of us,” says his colleague Alexey. — For him, the concepts of “Motherland” and “Honor” were sacred. Igor was on the front line all the time. He was awarded a medal “for the return of Crimea.” He was a loving father and husband. I flew home all the time, as if on wings. All day today I remember Vysotsky’s song: “Death chooses and pulls the best, one by one...” Unfortunately, the best are the first to leave...
“I have known Igor for a long time, he was one of those who can be called a Man with a capital M in relation to women,” Elena shares with us in turn. “He served under contracts for many years, and could no longer work in civilian life; he felt needed only where he could fight. I never found a place for myself in peaceful life. Passed many hot spots. At the same time, he did not become embittered, did not harden his soul, or become a cynic. He remained a very open, kind guy.
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On his page on the social network, Igor Zavidny posted articles about the training of snipers, night battles, mines and traps, camouflage, extreme medicine, how to properly bandage a wound or injury to the hand, how to equip a shelter from bad weather. And shared links to films about sniper art.
“Igor and I worked in security, in a mobile group in the Chelyabinsk region,” says Vasily. “He was a very cheerful, cheerful guy. Very reliable, the kind of guy you could go on reconnaissance with. He was always ready to share everything and come to the rescue if necessary. It was very difficult for us to work “in civilian life”; both of us only lasted for six months. Then they both quit, I went to St. Petersburg, and he went to serve under a contract in a military unit in Totskoye. Igor always strived to return to the army. There was real men's work there. We were constantly in touch with him. He was just about to come to visit me in St. Petersburg.
Igor Zavidny will be buried with military honors on April 13 in his native Novotroitsk. The funeral service will be held at the Youth Center.
According to the Ministry of Defense, Russian military personnel are nominated by the command for state awards.
“Igor was a patriot, he loved Russia. He never served for money.”
April 9 in Syria, during mortar fire from Islamist militants. According to the Ministry of Defense, the contract soldiers, together with a Russian military adviser, were in one of the units of the Syrian troops. And they were shooting instructors. Another soldier was seriously wounded in a mine explosion. Now doctors in the hospital are fighting for his life.
His relatives, friends and colleagues told MK about one of the dead, 34-year-old Igor Yuryevich Zavidny.
Igor Zavidny was from Novotroitsk, Orenburg region. Classmates remember well two cheerful, smiling brothers - twins Igor and Zhenya Zavidnykh.
“Igor was born 10 minutes earlier than me,” says his brother Evgeniy. - We were always together, we didn’t share anything, we had everything in common. We did karate together, then skiing. They were very friendly, one whole. It's very difficult for me now. I have no other siblings. After school, Igor and I entered the metallurgical technical school. But my brother couldn’t study there, probably he just wasn’t interested, he went to a vocational school and received a degree in auto mechanics. Then we were both drafted into the army. But both got a reprieve. I went to college in Buzuluk, and Igor damaged his ligaments. Then he said: “I will go to serve.” He underwent training in the Perm region, and then served in Omsk, in the railway troops.
- Do you have military members in your family?
My great-grandfather fought in the Great Patriotic War, my uncle was a military man.
- How did Igor become a sniper?
After military service, he got a job at a metallurgical plant. Then he said: “I’ll go to Chechnya under a contract.” There he first served as an armored personnel carrier driver, then became a machine gunner and then a reconnaissance sniper. I was on business trips in Dagestan and Ingushetia. It was his business. He found himself in the military field. After three years of contract, he returned from Chechnya, tried to work somewhere in security, but quickly got bored. And he decided to join the army again. I went to serve in a military unit in Totskoye, where I trained special forces guys. I want to say that Igor was a patriot and loved Russia. I never served for money.
- Did Igor have a family?
He left behind a son, Maxim, from his first marriage. For the last 4 years, he lived with his common-law wife Elena and helped raise her two daughters. After his return from a business trip to Syria, they planned to sign.
- Did you have a premonition that trouble might happen to your brother?
There were no signs of trouble. Igor and I talked on Skype the day before. He had two days left before the end of his business trip. On April 11 he was supposed to return home.
- Did your colleagues tell you under what circumstances Igor died?
Their group provided cover for the sappers. Suddenly a mortar attack began. They were already returning to their location, and just there the mines began to explode. Although they were all wearing bulletproof vests, a shrapnel hit my brother in the back, under the armor plate.
“Igorek, you were a wonderful commander, and just a great person, without you the company will be empty,” writes Evgeniy. - Now no one will shout: “Red, you’re smoking again, and there’s only one puff left to live like this...” We were so waiting for you to return in full force... Alas, fate decreed otherwise. Sleep well, we will remember you."
“Igor, you were essentially my brother. You are the best commander. “I will never forget our heart-to-heart conversations for hours in our dresses,” writes Vladimir. - In a year and a half, you have become a dear person to me. I remember your jokes and laughter all the time. I remember how we angered Vitka with the phrase: “What do you mean?..” I remember everything: the competition, the rain, the tower and when we drank coffee. I remember Yekaterinburg, Khabarovsk and Samara. I remember the cold, extreme loads, wet uniforms and your advice. All this will remain in my heart. May you rest in peace."
Friends note Igor’s decency and honesty. “He was the right guy. And that says it all,” says friend Oleg about him.
“Igor was a soldier of his country, he fought against terrorists who spread death for all of us,” says his colleague Alexey. - For him, the concepts of “Motherland” and “Honor” were sacred. Igor was on the front line all the time. He was awarded a medal “for the return of Crimea.” He was a loving father and husband. I flew home all the time, as if on wings. All day today I’ve been remembering Vysotsky’s song: “Death chooses and pulls the best, one by one....” Unfortunately, the best are the first to leave...
I have known Igor for a long time, he was one of those who can be called a Man with a capital M in relation to women,” Elena, in turn, shares with us. - He served under contracts for many years, and could no longer work “in civilian life”; he felt needed only where he could fight. I never found a place for myself in peaceful life. Passed many hot spots. At the same time, he did not become embittered, did not harden his soul, or become a cynic. He remained a very open, kind guy.
On his page on the social network, Igor Zavidny posted articles about the training of snipers, night battles, mine traps, camouflage, extreme medicine, how to properly bandage a wound or injury to the hand, how to equip a shelter from bad weather. And shared links to films about sniper art.
Igor and I worked as security guards, in a mobile group in the Chelyabinsk region,” says Vasily. - He was a very cheerful, cheerful guy. Very reliable, the kind of guy you could go on reconnaissance with. He was always ready to share everything and come to the rescue if necessary. It was very difficult for us to work “in civilian life”; both of us only lasted for six months. Then they both quit, I went to my place in St. Petersburg, and he went to serve under a contract in a military unit in Totskoye. Igor always strived to return to the army. There was real men's work there. We were constantly in touch with him. He was just about to come to visit me in St. Petersburg.
Igor Zavidny will be buried with military honors on April 13 in his native Novotroitsk. The funeral service will be held at the Youth Center.
According to the Ministry of Defense, Russian military personnel are nominated by the command for state awards.
Journalists learned about the death of another Russian soldier serving under a contract in Syria. Igor Zavidny, according to his twin brother Evgeny, died the day before, on April 9, RBC reports. Previously, the media have already written that since the beginning of 2017, Russia has suffered many more losses in Syria than officially reported.
“They were covered by mortar fire, and two people died. By a lucky coincidence, his colleague refused to go, and a guy from another unit went instead,” the brother of the deceased soldier told the publication, but he did not specify the name of the second dead soldier.
“After military service, Igor worked at a metallurgical plant, and then went on a contract. He was on a contract for three years: Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia. After Chechnya, he went to serve in Totskoye (Orenburg region),” added Evgeniy Zavidny.
In the afternoon, April 10, a friend of the mother of the Zavidny brothers, Irina Zubova, on her page in Facebook expressed condolences to the soldier’s family and friends and published his photographs.
“On April 9, while performing a combat mission in Syria, the son of my beautiful friend, Zavidny Igor Yurievich, died. He was born on July 3, 1982 in the city of Novotroitsk, Orenburg region. Tomorrow the coffin with his son will be brought to his mother in the city for funeral,” she wrote.
On March 22, the Conflict Intelligence Team, which conducts independent investigations into military conflicts, reported the deaths of nine Russians in Syria. As CIT activists found out, at least six of the dead were mercenaries of the so-called “Wagner Group”. We were talking about those killed between the end of January and the end of February 2017.
At the same time, Reuters reported that since the end of January, Russia has suffered three times more losses in Syria than officially reported. According to evidence collected by the agency, since January 29 - that is, during the period of intense fighting for the capture of Palmyra - 18 Russians have been killed in the SAR. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense officially confirmed in 2017 data on only five victims. In total, 29 people were officially killed during Russia’s military operation in Syria, including one non-combat loss.
CIT, in turn, also recalled other recent reports about the death of Russians in Syria. At the beginning of March, it became known about the death of Vasily Yurlin from Tolyatti in the Arab Republic. Judging by data from social networks, the Russian went to Syria to serve “under an agreement” and died on February 20. Previously, Yurlin served in the Airborne Forces. CIT suggests that he could also be a fighter from the Wagner PMC.
In addition, on March 6, the press received information about the death of Ivan Slyshkin in Syria. It was reported that he died during a combat mission on February 12 and was buried in the Chelyabinsk region on March 2. The Kremlin and the Ministry of Defense did not confirm information about the death of Slyshkin in Syria. Acquaintances of the deceased said that he was a fighter of the Wagner PMC. Before this, Slyshkin served in Chechnya under a contract.
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