Mother of Cherkessk native killed at SMO seeks in court to have him declared perished

The body of Khamzet Gogov, a native of Cherkessk, who perished in the special military operation (SMO) zone, has not been evacuated from the battlefield for almost a year; his mother is trying in court to have him declared perished. It is difficult to obtain a death certificate without the help of military command, Valentina Melnikova, the head of the Union of Soldiers' Mothers Committees, believes.

In July 2020, Aminat Gogova complained about the falsification of the case against her son. According to her story, the investigating bodies of Karachay-Cherkessia ignored the results of examinations indicating falsification in the case of Khamzet Gogov. The witnesses in the case of illegal drug trafficking gave contradictory testimonies; and one of the witnesses was closely acquainted with the operative agent, Ms Gogova has claimed.

If Khamzet is declared dead, this will give the right to the due payments, including a pension for his daughter.

Valentina Melnikova, the head of the above Union, has noted that bodies of dead soldiers are rarely removed from the battlefield. "Russian authorities are not very willing to give up prisoners of war (POWs) and bodies of the dead ... Soldiers are sent to the SMO zone without their military IDs, without passports and without badges. How can you find one in such conditions?" she said.

The number of missing soldiers has increased, said Arzu Mamedova, a journalist, who is engaged in searching for the dead and identifying the remains.

According to her story, soldiers themselves are helping in the search. If a soldier cannot be found for a long time, the soldier's relatives take a DNA test.