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Soldiers are regularly discovered with their grenades still in their backpacks and artillery shells can be seen sticking out of the trees. . Horror A couple hires a professional digger (underground structure explorer) to help them find their friends, who mysteriously disappeared in the subway. Crossing Continents is broadcast on Thursdays at 11:00GMT. Olga Ivshina is one of those who signed up for this task. Here is another find by Russian War Diggers. They successfully brought a sense of semblance of order into a picture of moral chaos in Russias history and were able to pay homage to those who lost their lives to WWII. Many countries were scarred by World War Two, but none suffered as many losses as the Soviet Union. They destroyed the church and even struck police officers who tried to control the enraged mob. Additionally, it was just two decades after WWII. Each dug up soldier is photographed as well as their location recorded and the information entered into a digital database. Sometimes some samples are deactivated directly in the forest for subsequent transfer to museums.We do not sell the finds.If we find German soldiers, we transfer the remains or their location to an organization that is looking for German soldiers in Russia.This is not our job. My mum was so hungry all the time, she begged the other kids for pieces of bread at school, she adds. Our team is represented by many people. Every spring, summer and autumn I get this strange sort of yearning inside me to go and look for the soldiers. Nobody will convince me they planted trees for ecological reasons.". They are also often eligible for one-off sign-on. The soldiers are waiting for us - waiting for the chance to finally go home.". One of these is Valentina Aliyeva who came to bury the father she had not seen since she was four years old. Why does the US have 800 Military Bases around the World? But I refused - I knew who my real dad was," she says, her eyes filling with tears. . "Our grandfathers fought against the Nazis in World War II and now we are fighting against Nazis in Ukraine," said Vladislav Malov, 47, a volunteer who recently . They are persistent to continue until every fallen man has been found though that could take a lifetime of work. So we think the whole soldier was underneath the roots and the trees were growing on top of him.". So far the diggers have found 2,000 bodies. She has spent most of her holidays being a volunteer body hunter far away from her home, business and her young son for the past 12 years. She recently unearthed a helmet and in order to find its owner, the team had to uproot two nearby trees. They try to rid these unknown soldiers their anonymity. The death toll from the weekend Russian missile strike on the apartment building in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro has . "In just three months the German death machine covered more than 2,000km (1,250 miles) of our land. I am not surprised that Peter Schumann and the Bread and Puppet Theater cannot bring themselves to blame the obscene genocidal Russian attempt to destroy Ukraine as a nation . Then I scraped away some moss and saw a soldier. "When we told them that we had found their father's remains, for them the feeling was just indescribable. or Best Offer. They branded his young son and daughter traitor's children and the family were forced to leave. Going back to city life and her job with the BBC Russian Service is sometimes hard after a few weeks in the forest. Most terrifying Heavy Weapons of the US Military in the Future ( Video ), The End of a Superpower The Collapse of the Soviet Union, Boiling and Burning Alive: A Medieval Punishment of Searing Pain, Death by Pressing and Crushing: A Medieval Punishment Youd Want to Avoid, 65 Medieval Facts, Beasts, Torture Methods, Jobs & MORE! "Some wrote, 'If I am killed, please pass this on to my girlfriend or my mum.' St. Petersburg, known that time as Leningrad, was one of the said campaigns main targets. 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There is a belief that birds flying overhead transport the souls of the dead. , units of Cossacks and Russias so-called Special Combat Army Reserve. They are not interested in identifying the soldiers - they just leave the bones in the ground. Exploration is one of 600 groups of diggers from all over Russia who have found and reburied a total of 500,000 soldiers so far. As most of these relatives are old and not in the very best of health conditions, the group tries to prepare them and break the news gently to them though they have been waiting for this break from their loved one for a long time. Russia was one, if not the country with the most casualties during WWII. Most terrifying Heavy Weapons of the US Military in the Future ( Video ), The End of a Superpower The Collapse of the Soviet Union, Boiling and Burning Alive: A Medieval Punishment of Searing Pain, Death by Pressing and Crushing: A Medieval Punishment Youd Want to Avoid, 65 Medieval Facts, Beasts, Torture Methods, Jobs & MORE! He said he didnt know who his contractor was. A Day in the Life of a Medieval Barber aka Budget Surgeon!? They are determined to continue until the last man is found. In just three months the German death machine covered more than 2,000km (1,250 miles) of our land. One other thing about digging up WW11 relics is the danger from shells and grenades that have been buried, and lain there slowly deteriorating and becoming more dangerous over the past 70 or so years. But the skeletons were all mixed up and smashed. However, many aspects of a volunteers legal status are unclear. He then added that Russia focused on rebuilding the war-torn country immediately after WWII ended. The most experienced digger has been in this business for almost 30 years already. Sergei Krivenko, the head of Citizen, Army & the Law, an NGO providing legal assistance to Russian soldiers, confirmed that BARS fighters often lacked proper contracts although he said he did not know whether this was intentional or merely the result of incompetence. 11 March 1899. About 20 BARS units their numbers boosted by fresh volunteers are currently in Ukraine, according to Telegram channels and group chats seen by The Moscow Times. On 22 June 1941, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, the largest and bloodiest campaign in military history, aimed at annexing vast areas of the USSR to the Third Reich. Finding the dead is only one part of their mission. General Assault Badge Medal bars 1939 Iron Cross 1st Class SS Porzellanmanufaktur Allach 1939 Iron Cross 2nd Class Helmets Tank Assault Badge 1914 Iron Cross 1st Class What is it worth? But when he turns it upside down in his hand, what comes out of it is not a roll of paper, but a trickle of brown liquid. Discover daily channel statistics, earnings, subscriber attribute, relevant YouTubers and videos. A Deep German Bunker Her is another find by the Russian War Diggers. Its like an anchor which helps us to stay in place even during a storm, she states. "A bit further away, I found a Soviet helmet. 5 Most Mysterious Abandoned Military Bases, World War 2 Tank Pulled From Bog After 60 years, 15 Of The Greatest Warrior Cultures From History, British Union of Fascists March October 3rd 1937, Archival Footage 1950s British Railways Trains Signaling. These unknown soldiers are what these volunteer body hunters are looking for. Exploration and Russias Other Digger Groups. | Medieval Compilation. As Ilya puts it, workers at that time were afraid of going jobless if they refused to do the task at hand. Olga Ivshina walks slowly and carefully through the pine trees, the beeps of her metal detector punctuating the quiet of the forest. Nazi War Diggers was cancelled by the National Geographic channel in 2014, and by Foxtel in Australia this year, after archaeologists slammed its gruesome content. 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But here, on the dig, I feel we are doing something which is needed.". The most essential key in this is the ID tag. It took Ilya Prokoviev months to track them down. 'Prying rifles out of the ground, after uncovering one end', could be a very risky, and short lived, occupation. Ilya Prokoviev, the most experienced of the Exploration team, is carefully poking the ground with a long metal spike. Russian War Diggers : The Germans Hurriedly threw their Equipment in the River WW2 Relic Hunters Here is a video from the Russian War Diggers where the Germans Hurriedly threw their Equipment in the River We are engaged in the search and burial lost Red Army soldiers/ If we can to know their names, we looking for relatives and bury them on their native land with all the honors. Why does the US have 800 Military Bases around the World? In addition, hundreds of Second World War artefacts are gathered. Sure, there are lots of girls who look for rich guys just to get some money out of them. June 22, 1941 the day when Hitler launched his Operation Barbarossa, the biggest and bloodiest drive throughout military history which aimed at adding huge areas of USSR to Germanys Third Reich. The team's technician, Rafik Salakhiev, uses ultraviolet light and digital imaging to reveal the faded pencil marks. Of the estimated 70 million people killed in World War Two, 26 million died on the Eastern front - and up to four million of them are still officially considered missing in action. The remains are decomposing and it is getting harder to find the bones, ID tags and army kit.. Tweet. The initial "acquaintance" with them turned out to be somewhat emotional." Our grandfathers fought against the Nazis in World War II and now we are fighting against Nazis in Ukraine, said Vladislav Malov, 47, a volunteer who recently returned to his hometown of Nizhnekamsk in the Russian republic of Tatarstan. They are visibly moved, some even looking up the sky, as each red coffin is carried past them to be buried. Instead, theirs were made of small ebony capsules with an equally small piece of paper inside containing their personal details. Ukraine's capital came under one of the biggest attacks of the war as Russia's invading forces fired dozens of missiles across the country. The mine, a bleak and dull brown man-made canyon which stretches over 35 square kilometres, yields 25 million . "The principles are very clear, we do not support war in any way as government. Analogous to the British Territorial Army or the United States Army Reserve, those enrolled in BARS. One month later, he was badly injured by artillery fire near the Ukrainian village of Makiivka amid intense fighting in the east of the country. Even if they have been waiting for a long time.". This work connects us to our past. in September that employers should guarantee volunteers jobs for when they return to civilian life. The governing council of the USSR issued decrees in 1963 about destroying any traces of war, says Ilya. Military Summary And Analysis 10.01.2023 Ukraine Faces "Tougher Assaults" in Soledar, 700 Russian Troops Killed, US to Send Stryker Vehicles? For more than two years, the Red Army fought desperately to cut through German lines. We are engaged in the search and burial lost Red Army soldiers/ If we can to know their names, we looking for relatives and bury them on their native land with all. When even money and patriotism are insufficient to inspire Russians to sign up to fight in Ukraine, its time to bring out the big guns such as food ISTANBUL Alexander, 23, remembers panic-buying a ticket from St. Petersburg to this Turkish metropolis shortly after Russia launched its invasion Russian volunteers and mobilized men preparing to leave for training. | Medieval Compilation. By Julia Malunga, 6th May 2022. Alexander was quickly deployed to the frontlines in Ukraine after he joined a Russian unit for volunteer soldiers in October because he wanted to "defend his motherland." . It was 1983, I was 40km from Leningrad and there lay the remains of a soldier who hadn't been buried. While ideology likely is one motivation for these soldiers, incentives such as high salaries, bonuses and opportunities for promotion and medals as well as pressure from families are also believed to play a major role. At that time, individuals who didnt have jobs in Soviet Union were non-persons living as if they didnt exist; nobody wanted to be like that, thus, they were forced to go through with the job. Others were left blank because many soldiers were superstitious - they believed filling in the forms would lead to certain death. Alexander has a strict set of guidelines about how the remains should be excavated, labelled and stored. "Let's try to enhance purple colours on this yellow paper," he says. 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