Vladimir Mineev plans to dedicate his upcoming fight to his brother who died fighting in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The AMC Fight Nights champion is expected to face fellow compatriot Timur Nikulin in a boxing match on June 12 in Moscow, which is being promoted by the Derzhava promotions company.
“This is an opportunity to honor the memory of my brother, who died in the first days of the special operation,” Mineev told Russian state-controlled media outlet Tass.ru. “I will go out in a T-shirt with the image of my brother, in a beret.”
Mineev’s brother, Pyotr, served in Russia’s air force and was killed during the early days of the ongoing war. The 30-year-old served as a private and was killed along with Sergeant Ilnur Sibgatullin. He left behind a wife and two small children.
Russia launched its war on Ukraine on February 24, resulting in a humanitarian and refugee crisis that saw more than 5.7 million fleeing to neighbouring countries. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified a total of 2,899 civilian deaths during Russia’s military attack on Ukraine as of April 28, 2022. However, OHCHR specified that the real numbers could be higher.
Russian casualties has been difficult to assess given the lack of transparency from the Russian government. Ukrainian officials claimed last month that more than 19,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, while the Kremlin acknowledged “significant losses of troops” as a result of the ongoing war.
“It is a huge tragedy for us,” spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in April.
Beyond the death toll, evidence has arisen showing the extent of Russia’s war crimes during its occupation of towns such as Bucha, which included mass graves, extrajudicial killings, rape, and torture. Photo evidence also showed corpses of civilians lined up with their hands bound behind their backs and shot at point-blank range.
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