Relatives of the dead and missing soldiers from the 25th brigade contacted the ASTRA editorial office after publishing how Colonel Alexei Ksenofontov with the call sign “Tiger” sent dozens of men into a deadly assault while intoxicated. We recall that Vladimir Solovyov reacted to the post, said that this was a lie, and the Ukrainian media through Astra allegedly throws fake materials in order to “distract our brilliant commanders from the work of destroying the Nazi beasts.” Therefore, he argues, the journalists of the publication should be imprisoned, and from “citizen [Bolvinova, the wife of the deceased military man], who told all this, explain herself.”
“Solovyov, interview us all. Look at how many women curse your Ksenofontov. Chat with the women who wish the death of the “Tiger” under your airwaves. Why are you trying to save this person? Why don’t you tell me that Ksenofontov has a criminal record for abuse of office?” Alina Bolvinova, who told Astra about that drunken assault, turned to the propagandist.
According to relatives who contacted the editorial office, Alexey Ksenofontov, “Tiger”, and Andrey Syrotyuk, “Eagle”, sending the military into deadly assaults and receiving state awards for this, underestimate the losses of their “death brigade” (this name was given to the 25th brigade among relatives) dozens of times thanks to the so-called “seconded” military — from other military units. ASTRA knows the names of at least two servicemen who came under their command from an illegal basement in Zaitsevo (“LPR”) — these are Glazer Stefan Viktorovich and Volodin Vladimir Viktorovich. Both disappeared after they were sent from the basement to the assault.
According to Glazer’s mother, “Eagle” went to Zaitsevo for “replenishment” every week. “A huge number of those seconded in this way disappeared in the 25th brigade – virtually without names – because their movements were not displayed in the combat logs… Thus, the 25th brigade managed to significantly reduce irretrievable losses… So many people died under the leadership of the Tiger, and at the time of death, unknown guys… Let Ksenofontov answer me: where is my son!!! I’ve been looking for 8 months!!! Where is my child? What did he and Eagle do to him?”
ASTRA publishes the names and stories of the military who disappeared under the leadership of the hero of Russia “Tiger” Ksenofontov. Their relatives contacted the editorial office after the broadcast of the propagandist Solovyov.
The husband of one ASTRA interlocutor also disappeared after he was seconded to the 29760 military unit under the leadership of the Eagle after being in Zaitsevo and sent on a combat mission at the end of January. “I really want to be answered for my husband,” says his wife. Denis Valeryevich Chernyshov’s wife is in a group of wives and mothers of 43 more missing persons under the leadership of Ksenofontov.
“All our fighters contacted us for the last time on February 24. And no one can tell us where they are. There are also no cash allowances. <…> In this part, they don’t even know what an assault kilometer is. Because the guys don’t go through this assault kilometer, they can’t even walk 100 meters. They die coming out of the dugout. And when someone says that the command there is excellent, just go behind the ribbon, at least a kilometer away, and talk to the guys who are cold, hungry, sitting without water, food and clothes. They are told, you go either forward or backward. And there is no way back, because they are immediately killed. Because they are inconvenient,” says Chernyshov’s wife. The women wrote a collective appeal addressed to Bastrykin.
— Terekhov Evgeny Pavlovich. According to a colleague, he died in the first combat mission.
“Of the two hundred people who were sent there, seven remained alive. All the others died on the first day of the combat mission. They were in Sinkovka, in the forest belt. <…> Until May 5, the military unit hid losses and blatantly lied. Later, I wrote to another colleague, he said the same thing. That almost everyone was put down. They sent 7 people each. They are killed and the next 7 are sent. And so on until it’s all over. With the exception of the 300, who managed to be transported to the hospital. I understand that there is no evacuation in Sinkovka. I would really like to look into the eyes of those commanders who hid the losses for so long. For what — for the orders? For medals? You can’t bring people back. I would like to at least understand — who will be responsible for all this?”, — said his wife.
— Mikhail Ivanovich Gorshkov. “He was under the command of a Tiger and, as far as I know, also came under his “DRUNKEN ORDER,” his family said.
— Mobilized Pavel Vorobyov [name changed at the request of relatives]. “When my husband saw what was happening in Sinkovka, he refused to go. A colleague of the Eagle radioed that he was a refusenik. The order of the “Eagle” was to tie him to a tree in handcuffs and beat him until he agrees. Because he couldn’t stand the pain, he agreed. When they — 8 people — entered the vehicle, the Baba Yaga drone immediately flew over them,” his wife said.
— Valery V. Golovachev. “On March 12, at night, a shell was thrown into his dugout by Baba Yaga, the dugout collapsed, he and a friend were seriously injured. His legs were broken. He immediately began to call for help on the radio, shouting that both were seriously injured. The dugout was covered with earth. He was screaming: “Help me!” On March 13, a mining group passed by. They dug him out, gave him first aid, moved him to another dugout, and left him with water. The second comrade, “Maloy”, died of wounds. All this time he was in that dugout and was waiting for the evacuation group. On March 16, he asked for water and medicines, a package was dropped from the “bird”, but because of the wind they said that it flew a little further than the dugout. He began to crawl towards this package. But somehow, miraculously, an enemy “bird” turned out to be nearby, which again threw a bomb at him. My husband didn’t get in touch on the radio anymore. To this day, I’m still looking for him. I am writing to all authorities, but the answer comes one: that he is missing,” his wife said.
— Zhukov Denis Gennadievich. He died on December 3, 2023. He blew himself up so as not to be captured, leaving the three of them with their comrades in a position without ammunition.
— Tretyakov Daniil Alexandrovich. I last got in touch on January 21st. “On February 4, a colleague called and told me that my brother had died. On March 22, I received a call from the m/u and was informed that my brother was registered as missing on March 22. Ksenofontov was awarded the Hero of Russia. He is alive and well, and my brother is still missing,” his sister said.
— Kirill Sergeevich Velichko mobilized. The last time he got in touch was on January 18, 2024 and reported that he was being taken to the assault. According to his colleagues, he died on January 19 near Sinkovka as a result of a drone strike. “Syrotyuk Andrey Ivanovich (“Eagle”), when I asked where our fighter was, replied that he had no idea and that he was allegedly in the hospital in January, and then blocked without continuing the dialogue,” his wife said.
Relatives of the military have repeatedly appealed to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the prosecutor’s office, and the IC with a demand to conduct an inspection against Ksenofontov, but to no avail.
“Solovyov, you justify him, say that he is a hero of Russia, but you don’t want to hear us, ordinary people, wives and mothers, ordinary relatives. He [Ksenofontov] is a terrible person. Why are thousands looking for relatives, why are there so many missing?”, — the mother of three children and the wife of the deceased serviceman Golovachev asked the propagandist.
