The Truth of Funeral Units: A Personal Look at the Problems of the Search Movement in Russia

The search movement for the search and burial of the dead on the territory of the USSR can be regarded as a kind of subculture with its own system of values, moral beliefs, norms, rules, internal rituals, and folklore. The movement, which was formed in the “perestroika era” (and was initially informal), has retained both its internal diversity (the presence of people of different ages, professions, and political views) and a certain independence, a personal assessment of the events of the Great Patriotic War. For most searchers, dissatisfied with the official version of events, it became important to be on the battlefield itself, to feel the “tragedy of the place” and injustice towards the fallen (forgotten) soldiers. Hence the acceptance of extreme search conditions and the real danger from unexploded ordnance, as well as attention to the fate of a particular deceased soldier. Accepting help from various government agencies and not objecting to the authorities’ desire to lead the movement and give it a patriotic orientation, the searcher sought to maintain the informal nature of their activities. These problems and the current state of the search movement are discussed with L. G. Vokhmyakov, an authoritative Yekaterinburg-based search engine, and K. V. Yakimov, a historian. Each of them talks about how they became acquainted with the search movement, the specifics of the organisation and methods of detecting burials, specific results and internal problems, relations with officials and residents. The awareness and frankness of the participants in the conversation make it possible not only to record the “strategy and tactics” of the searchers, little-known facts from the history of military operations in Russia, but also to understand how their worldview was formed and evolved. The desire to comprehend the military trauma of Soviet society and the search for the remains of the dead not only allowed them to join the tragic page of Russian history but also gave them the right to declare their “truth of war”.