October 01, 2024

Give Your Daughter Away, Defend the Motherland


Give Your Daughter Away, Defend the Motherland
Soldier holding binoculars to his face. The Russian Life file.

A teenage girl from a single-parent home in Kyachchi, Yakutia, is at risk of being sent to an orphanage after her father received a draft notice. The killer of the girl's mother had signed a military contract with the government to fight in Russia's War on Ukraine after being convicted of murder.

Sergey Yegorov and Masha Achikasova began dating in 2015 when he visited her village, Kyachchi. There, they built a house and a farm together. They married in 2022, shortly before he and many other men in their town were sent to fight in Russia's war on Ukraine. Yegorov had also adopted his wife's daughter, Darina. 

In January 2023, Yegorov was in Russian trenches in Ukraine when he received a call from his wife. She had left him for another man. Guardianship authorities took Darina, who was 15 years old, to an orphanage. Yegorov had to arrange for his daughter to be sent with her grandmother from Ukraine.

On August 16, 2023, Yegorov returned home after being offered leave from the front until September 22. The 48-year-old told Holod, "My daughter and I immediately started looking for [Achikasova]." He also asked the police to help him find her. On September 12, he received a call from authorities. His wife was dead, and he needed to go to Olekminsk to identify the body.

Achikasova was murdered by her partner, Vladislav Kornilov. He shot her once and fired another shot when he heard her gasp. Kornilov covered her body with a blanket and fled to a neighboring village, where he was caught. The murderer was known for his mistreatment and "living off" of his partners, including owing R700,000 ($7,429) in child support to two of his ex-wives. 

Yegorov was recognized as a victim in the case of Achikasova's murder. The investigative committee asked the military enlistment office to allow Yegorov remain in Yakutia while the investigation was underway. His battalion commander asked the single father to send all the requisite documents via WhatsApp. 

In January 2024, the military registration office told Yegorov he had two days to enlist in Yakutsk. He traveled there with his daughter and was arrested for abandoning his unit. Yegorov told Holod, "When they checked all our documents, they were shocked [and] said it was shameful to imprison me." He was released shortly afterward.

Yegorov began fighting to be dismissed from the front. In August 2023, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing soldiers' dismissal for "exceptional circumstances," including family reasons. Yegorov pleaded his case to prosecutors, local officials, and even the president of Yakutia. He was ignored until he released a video message with his story. Alexey Kolodeznikov, a United Russia local deputy, asked the military registration office to demobilize Yegorov. However, Kolodeznikov never said whether his request was accepted.

On June 11, Yegorov received a letter from the local head of guardianship and trustee department, Tatiana Nesmelova. She told the father to "resolve the issue of Darina's life arrangements" and "give your daughter to an orphanage and go defend the motherland" because his dismissal had not been resolved. In April, authorities tried to draft him again, but let him go after seeing his documents.

There are known cases of single fathers struggling to get demobilized. A single father of three was dismissed from duty only after contacting the St. Petersburg governor and human rights commissioner. A single father in Yekaterinburg who has sole custody of his daughter due to his ex-wife's alcoholism was threatened with desertion for not reporting to the front. In May, his case was reevaluated.

Yegorov was summoned to the military registration office for the evaluation of his dismissal case. However, he did not show up. Yegorov told Holod, "I know of many guys that went in, and from there they sent them immediately to Ukraine."

The killer of Yegorov's wife, Kornilov, was sentenced to ten years in prison. However, in June 2024, Yegorov found out that his wife's murderer had been released from punishment and sent to fight in Ukraine. Yegorov said, "To be honest, this is the beginning of chaos in Russia (...)All the guilty are being sent to war. How will they answer for their crimes there?"

Yegorov continues to work on his farm with Darina. Authorities delayed his dismissal case until his daughter's sixteenth birthday, on August 17. Now that she is legally and adult, Yegorov no longer has grounds for dismissal and faces being sent back to the front.

You Might Also Like

Forced to Be Sorry
  • September 24, 2024

Forced to Be Sorry

In 2024, Russians publish public video apologies every two days.
Returning Home to Kill
  • April 29, 2024

Returning Home to Kill

More than 100 persons have been killed by returning Russian soldiers since the beginning of Russia's War on Ukraine.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955