"Don't Want to Kill Anyone," "I Love My Wife"... 33-Page Diary of a Fallen Russian Soldier

British Media Releases Diary of Russian Soldier
"I Really Want to Go Home... Writing While Crying"

The war in Ukraine, which broke out in February last year due to Russia's invasion, has continued for over a year and a half, and a diary of a Russian soldier who lost his life on the battlefield has been revealed. The diary contains the horrors of war and longing for his family.

On the 22nd (local time), the British daily The Times Sunday edition, The Sunday Times, published the diary of a Russian soldier who was deployed to the front line following Russian President Vladimir Putin's mobilization order last year and was killed in action. The diary was written by Vitali Takhtashov (31), a construction worker living in Moscow.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Takhtashov, who married in 2018, was an ordinary family man with a two-year-old son. However, his life was completely changed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

In September last year, Russia issued a partial mobilization order targeting reservists and summoned about 300,000 troops to be deployed to the Ukrainian battlefield. Accordingly, Takhtashov was deployed to the Tokmak front in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine, in November, two months later.

"I want to go home"... Diary of a Russian soldier before his death

A Ukrainian soldier stands in front of the destroyed Antonovsky Bridge in southern Kherson, Ukraine. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

From then until early January this year, Takhtashov wrote letters to his family in a notebook and recorded his life on the battlefield in diary form. His writings alone amount to 33 pages.

On the first day of conscription, November 29, Takhtashov wrote, "We are staying near (Chechen troops), and we hear gunfire even at night. I witnessed drones flying and cannons operating," adding, "I miss everyone (my family) so much. I want to talk with them."

In the diary entry dated the next day, the 30th, he wrote that he heard he would be immediately deployed to battle, saying, "I am scared. I write this with tears. I want to go home. I really love everyone (my family)."

He also wrote, "I don't want to kill anyone because all religions teach 'Thou shalt not kill,'" and added, "I hope we don't kill and they (the Ukrainian troops) don't kill us either."

In the diary entry dated December 4, Takhtashov said he was dragged to the front line. On that day, he wrote to his wife, "I really love you. I want to grow old with you. Please wait for me."

However, as the war prolonged and even the New Year's leave was canceled, Takhtashov confessed his despair, saying, "I have the urge to shoot the people around me or myself with a gun," and "Today, while cutting wood, I thought about breaking my ankle just to return to you (my family)."

Takhtashov stopped writing his diary after the entry dated January 5. The reason for his cessation of writing is unknown.

Takhtashov continued fighting on the front line afterward, but his body was found in the first week of this month. Ukrainian troops advancing into the southeastern plains of the Zaporizhzhia region witnessed many bodies of fallen soldiers left there. Among them was Takhtashov's body. The Ukrainian troops found a crumpled diary in Takhtashov's uniform pocket.

The Sunday Times evaluated, "What we found is the image of a family whose future was destroyed by Putin's war," adding, "Their story is a valuable record revealing the cruel reality hidden behind the Kremlin's lies."

Russia continues missile attacks on Odesa... 'World Heritage' also damaged

A Russian soldier is holding an Orlan-10 unmanned reconnaissance drone on the Ukrainian battlefield. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, recently Russia has continued concentrated offensives on Odesa, a southern port city that is a hub for Ukraine's grain exports. In particular, the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral (Transfiguration of the Savior Cathedral), located in the historic district of Odesa city registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site, was severely damaged by an air raid in the early morning of the 23rd.

BBC reported, "Most of the cathedral's roof was blown off, and although the building's thick walls still stand, they are burned, and the pillars are leaning at a worrying angle."

In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned via a Twitter message, "There will definitely be retaliation against the Russian terrorists related to Odesa. They will feel the retaliation."

However, Russia denied claims that its missiles struck the Odesa cathedral, asserting that the cathedral was destroyed by Ukrainian air defense missiles.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.