A Familys Fight for Accountability: The Tragic Case of a Sakha Conscripts Loss in the Ukraine Conflict

«We bid farewell to our Aman as he headed off for military service in Ussuriysk in June 2024, and we never saw him again,» a woman named Inna shared on Instagram on April 21.

Aman Malyshev, Inna’s 22-year-old nephew, was a model in his hometown of Yakutsk before going to Ussuriysk for the mandatory military training that all Russian men aged 18-30 are required to complete.

“Today we received the heartbreaking news that he passed away in Bryansk,” Inna posted, referencing the region near the Ukrainian border. “He hadn’t signed a contract. He was just about to return home.”

Inna’s post quickly gained traction in her home republic of Sakha (Yakutia), sending shockwaves through the community.

“Why did this happen?! This can’t be an isolated incident!” commented user super_gelena, tagging Aysen Nikolayev, the official account of Sakha’s leader.

“Indeed, it’s not the only case. Our nephew was also sent to the border with Ukraine — he’s only 18 and is now reported missing in action,” replied user sannikova121177 to super_gelena.

“His parents went to the combat zone, searching for him and trying to obtain any information. They found nothing — it’s complete chaos there! But we are still holding onto hope,” added sannikova121177.

Malyshev is among at least 173 conscripts who have died since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, despite assurances from Moscow that conscripts would not be engaged in direct combat, according to a count by the independent news outlet Vyorstka.

At the invasion’s onset, it was anticipated that the mothers and wives of soldiers like Malyshev would galvanize a movement against the war and the regime, similar to the protests by the Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers during the Chechen conflict in the 1990s.

Women did, in fact, play a significant role in the anti-mobilization protests in September 2022, with a notable gathering of 500 people in Sakha, as well as subsequent demonstrations demanding the return of conscripted soldiers from the frontline.

However, their influence on challenging the regime and its war narrative has remained limited. Many seem to grieve privately or comprehend that public criticism could lead to repression.

“Soldiers’ wives and mothers who attempt to protest tread carefully, framing their actions as expressions of loyalty and patriotism,” explained Jenny Mathers, a scholar on Russian civil-military relations and a lecturer at Aberystwyth University in Wales.

Aman Malyshev’s mother, Anna, who appears to have two other minor sons according to social media, seems to follow this pattern.

“I sincerely thank everyone who aids us in sharing information about our son. However, I want to clarify our stance and ask for it to be respected,” Anna Malysheva remarked in an Instagram post dated April 22.

“I do not want my son’s name to be manipulated, nor our story used to undermine the current government or incite hostility towards the authorities. That is not the purpose of sharing Aman’s story,” she continued.

She expressed a desire for the commander of the military base in Ussuriysk, where her son was assigned for his compulsory service, to face consequences for deploying him to what the Kremlin calls the «counterterrorism operation zone,” referring to places subject to Ukrainian counteroffensives.

Anna also criticized Aman’s platoon commander for “sending her son and his comrades to certain death” during a drone strike that targeted their vehicle.

“I firmly believe that specific individuals are responsible for our situation, and I want their culpability to be recognized and addressed fairly,” she asserted.

In an Instagram Story that has since been deleted, Anna Malysheva mentioned that she had written her initial post after communicating with «a foreign agent journalist.»

“She presents herself as someone attempting to assist the state in uncovering the truth about who is to blame [for her son’s death],” expert Mathers explained to The Moscow Times.

Mathers noted that Malysheva’s approach aligns with other women and military families who voice criticism toward the state while distancing themselves from activist organizations like Feminist Anti-War Resistance or notable anti-war Russian opposition figures who vehemently challenge Putin’s administration.

While this tactic of “patriotic dissent” may perplex some observers, Mathers argues it has effectively compelled the state to alter its approach to deploying conscripts in active warfare.

The relatively modest number of conscripts killed compared to overall Russian military casualties supports this view.

“I don’t think it will lead to the regime’s immediate downfall. However, it’s a means to hold the state accountable… in a subtle manner, rather than through large-scale protests demanding change,” Mathers stated.

“They are emulating a strategy similar to Navalny’s, albeit in a different way — using the state’s own laws and commitments to call it to account,” she added.

Whether this strategy will succeed in the troubling case of Aman Malyshev remains uncertain.

More than two weeks after his passing, the conscript’s body was returned to Yakutsk and buried on May 11.

Authorities in Sakha have not issued any public statements regarding his death.

“My condolences. I hope that by the time your younger sons join the army, this turmoil will be over,” a user named tustuk_uibaan commented on Anna Malysheva’s post, referring to her late son’s younger siblings.

“It appears that if one brother dies while serving, the others qualify for a draft deferment,” the mother responded.

“Then he saved his younger brothers,” commented tustuk_uibaan.