“We remember them with deep sadness and mourning,” the school said in a statement of former graduates killed in Russia’s bloody onslaught against Ukraine.
The school explains that they are heroes and role models for today’s students.
“We spoke to our oldest students about our graduates and the traits they have acquired that are undoubtedly worthy of real heroes,” the school wrote on its social media page.
Alakruti is a closed military town where Russia’s 80th Motorized Rifle Brigade, also known as the Arctic Brigade, is based. It is located approximately 40 km from the border with Finland. The town belonged to Finland until it was attacked and annexed by Stalin’s forces following the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
A small exhibition dedicated to former students is being held at the local school museum. “Duty. Honor. Courage,” says the exhibition poster. Another article reads, “Heroes of our time.”
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The exhibition includes photographs and descriptions of seven men.
Among them is Danila Borisov, who is not yet 20 years old. According to social media posts, he served as a sailor in the Navy.
Maksim Pashchenko has been working as a contract soldier since 2010 and was already fighting in the Donbass region in 2014. He died in air combat over the town of Popasnaya on April 6, 2022, the VK post explains.
Several of the men are believed to have been fighting in the local 80th Motorized Rifle Brigade. Not all of them were professional soldiers. Denis Serkov originally trained as a locomotive mechanic.
On several occasions, School 3 has invited soldiers still fighting in Ukraine to share their war experiences.
The school said that during one of its meetings, military officer and school graduate Vladislav Silvestrov spoke to the students about “the importance of military service, love for the motherland and duty to the people.”
Meetings with soldiers and former graduates show students that “real heroes live next door” and that “bravery and love for the Motherland are the hallmarks of a patriot and a true Russian citizen.” This is something that the school emphasizes. .
It is unclear how many soldiers from the 80th Motor Rifle Brigade have been killed since Russia launched a major onslaught against Ukraine. However, local information resources in early 2023 memorialized more than 65 men.
All the soldiers were featured in an online photo album. These may represent only a fraction of the actual number of deaths.
The soldiers who serve at Alakruti come from all over Russia and are believed to be Russia’s finest soldiers in Arctic warfare.
The 80th Motorized Rifle Brigade in Alakruti was established in December 2014 and was named the Arctic Brigade. A member of the Northern Fleet, its mission is to defend Russia’s vast Arctic territory, stretching from the Kola Peninsula in the west to the New Siberian Islands. east.
