Back country Pinega reports more than 55 men killed in Ukraine

The alarming number of killed local men notwithstanding, the municipal government in the Pinega region continues to encourage locals to sign up for war. The administration also cooperates closely with local pro-war organisations.

"Thank you for your bravery, endurance and faithful duty!" local Mayor Lyudmila Kolik said in a greeting on February 23, the so-called Day of the Defenders of the Fatherland.

"Your heroism and self-sacrifice is an example for the young generation that will follow the same path, with the same strong spirit," she added.

But Kolik and her local administration can hardly afford to lose a single man.

Like most municipalities in northern Russia, Pinega is experiencing a dramatic population decline. Over the last 25 years, the number of inhabitants has plummeted by almost 50 percent. In year 2000, about 34,000 people were living in the area. In 2025, the number is only about 17,500.

Pinega is located in the region of Arkhangelsk.

The many men killed and wounded in Ukraine not only create crisis and grief in the affected families, they are also source of aggravating social problems. 

And they add to the demographic crisis.

A poster on display in the premises of a local pro-war organisation shows the photos of 56 local men killed in Ukraine. Most of them were young men under the age of 30.

In early March this year, representatives of the organisation organised a car parade across the municipality to honour local warriors. 

They had a stop in the village of Sura, where they stopped in the local church to "pray for victory, for the health of the soldiers, and for their return home."

Sura was the place of living for Dmitry Lazarev, the latest recorded local man killed in the war. According to local authorities, Lazarev was killed on December 3, 2024, in the Kursk region. 

He had the rang of sergeant and reportedly served in a spetsnaz unit.