Russia’s Deputy Defence Minister Aleksey Krivoruchko has said that any and all identification documents must be confiscated from the military involved in the invasion of Ukraine. The measure is taken to conceal information about Russian losses.
The letter, cited by Gordon media, seeks to stem the spread of information about Russian losses published on the Ukrainian Telegram channel Find Your Own (Ishchi Svoikh).
Under Krivoruchko's order, starting from 1 March 2022, "the military personnel involved in the ‘special operation’ in Ukraine should not carry any identification documents (i.e. service cards, military IDs or badges)".
The document also cites an order to ensure that bodies are evacuated, delivered to the places of permanent deployment at night and buried in mass graves with numbers assigned, including in Belarus, in the "soonest possible manner". In cases when it is not possible to recover the bodies, the deputy minister ordered that "the measures be taken to dispose of the bodies on the spot".
Earlier, Russia blocked the Find Your Own website (200rf.com) created by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. The up-to-date information about captured and killed Russian soldiers is posted on the eponymous Telegram channel. It publishes photos and IDs of captured and killed soldiers to help relatives identify their sons and husbands.
The Russian State Duma approved legal amendments, making the spread of "fake information about the Russian army" punishable with up to 15 years in prison.