Teenage Vadim Kostenko: Russia's First Syrian Casualty
Russia's first confirmed casualty in the Syrian conflict was 19-year-old Vadim Kostenko, one of the Russian air force's support staff in Syria. His body was delivered on Tuesday to his family home in the village of Grechnaya Balka, in southern Russia's Krasnodar region.
Interviewed by Reuters, Alexander and Svetlana Kostenko did not believe the military's account that their 19-year-old son had hanged himself. They said their son had sounded cheerful in phone conversations as recently as Saturday, the day he died while working on an airbase on the Syrian coast.
There are social media reports of nine other Russian military deaths in Syria, but these have not been confirmed.
Read more: Russian Soldier's Funeral Does Not Stop Questions Over Syria Death
Interviewed by Reuters, Alexander and Svetlana Kostenko did not believe the military's account that their 19-year-old son had hanged himself. They said their son had sounded cheerful in phone conversations as recently as Saturday, the day he died while working on an airbase on the Syrian coast.
There are social media reports of nine other Russian military deaths in Syria, but these have not been confirmed.
Read more: Russian Soldier's Funeral Does Not Stop Questions Over Syria Death
Vadim Kostenko / VK
Vadim Kostenko / VK
Vadim Kostenko / VK
Vadim Kostenko / VK
Vadim Kostenko / VK
Vadim Kostenko / VK
Vadim Kostenko / VK
Russian servicemen carry the coffin of Vadim Kostenko, one of the Russian air force's support staff in Syria, during his funeral in the village of Grechnaya Balka, north-west of Krasnodar, Russia, Oct. 28, 2015.
Stringer / Reuters