11 May 2026

In Tatarstan, which has the second-highest number of confirmed casualties in Ukraine, “veterans of the Soviet military” marched in the Victory Day parade on May 9. Moreover, among the marchers were even disabled soldiers who are unable to move without assistance and likely have prosthetics. This refers to the republic’s “oil capital,” Almetyevsk, where about fifty veterans of the war marched in the parade. 

At the head of the column marched Viktor Shatrilov, chairman of the local branch of the “Defenders of the Fatherland” foundation. He had previously reported how his group detained saboteurs in occupied Zaporizhia who allegedly aimed Ukrainian Armed Forces artillery at kindergartens and schools with children.  The foundation emphasized that this column was marching for the “third year in a row.” Judging by the video, some of the soldiers marching across the square were disabled or seriously injured: some were leaning on canes and crutches, and a legless invalid rode in a wheelchair at the front of the column; many were limping. 

https://t.me/uvt24/29663

In the list of Russians killed in Ukraine, compiled by Mediazona and the BBC, Tatarstan has long had the second-highest number of deaths among all Russian regions. At least 7,980 natives of the republic are estimated to have died in the war. According to authorities, approximately 3,600 wounded SVO members reside in the region.

It was previously reported that during the May 9 parade in Chita, authorities  organized  a march through the central square for the wives and mothers of fallen “heroes of the Soviet Military District.” The parade detachment included women dressed in identical uniforms, as well as students from the cadet boarding school. Some of the widows and mothers marched carrying portraits of fallen war veterans.

https://ru.themoscowtimes.com/2026/05/11/v-tatarstane-na-parade-pobedi-proshla-kolonna-invalidov-svo-s-protezami-a194974