Volgograd Father Refuses to Bury Son Over Death Cause Dispute

Ernest Khachaturov from Volgograd lost his eldest son, who died in the zone of the special military operation in Ukraine. Along with the body of the 27-year-old man, his father was given personal items — a cross necklace and a wedding ring. The man had no doubts that his son was in the coffin, until the morgue gave him a medical death certificate with the wrong year of birth for his son. But what shocked the father was something else. The document stated that the son did not die during a combat mission, but died from an illness.

For over a year, the soldier«s body has been in the morgue. The father refuses to bury his son until he learns the true cause of his death. The command of the military unit says that Alexander went on a combat mission, went missing, and when he was found on the battlefield, he had a chest wound. However, the forensic medical examination says the opposite: the young man had a severe heart disease.

“He was such a lively guy. He was…”

As Alexander«s father told V1.RU, he moved with his family to Volgograd from Turkmenistan when his son was 6 years old. They do not have Russian citizenship. Sasha finished 9th grade and then started working in construction.

“My wife died in 2014. I had a younger son left, 9 years old, and the eldest was 17 then. He was such a lively guy. So healthy, strong, he could do pull-ups with one hand, he did such things on the horizontal bar! After school, he worked in construction, and then he went to Moscow, doing apartment renovations,” Ernest recounts.

According to the father, in Moscow Alexander met a girl, and the couple had a son. Ernest claims that his son«s decision to go to the combat zone was influenced precisely by his cohabitant.

“There he met one… She «got pregnant». They lived together. My son didn«t have documents, they burned in a fire. They lived okay, took out a mortgage, an apartment… The cohabitant was draining money from him. My son worked, but it still wasn»t enough. Especially since he worked without documents. One person would «cheat» him, then another… It was problematic. A dead end — he went to the SMO (special military operation),” the father says.

“Sashka, hello. Call me”

Ernest recalls: his son signed a contract and went to the combat zone in June 2024. There he was a private rifleman.

“He just presented me with a fait accompli: «I»m leaving tomorrow.« I told him: »Have you gone crazy or what? You«re a born electrician, work, your salary is enough.» We argued a little. He said: «Father, don»t worry. We«ll get citizenship through me.» I say: «I don»t need it at such a price,« Ernest recalls. “In the first days, he didn»t get in touch, he changed his number. I called the cohabitant, said to send me my son«s number. She says: »My husband told me not to give the number to anyone.« I say: »Are you confused about something? Who is this anyone?« She never gave it. I found it myself. My son said: »I«ll come back, I»ll sort it out with her.« Well, he came back…”

The man recalls that his son stopped communicating in late November 2024. All the messages he sent him in December were unread.

“The last time I wrote to him on 11 December 2024: «Why aren»t you getting in touch? Write.« He didn»t even read it. «Sashka, hello. Call if you can.» In February, when my son was already dead, I wrote to him: «I haven»t forgotten you.« Just wrote from myself…”

“If she calls, it means cargo 200”

On 20 December 2024, the father was called by the deputy political officer and informed: his son went on a combat mission and went missing.

“The deputy political officer calls me. «Ernest Alexandrovich?» — «Yes.» — «Are you Sasha»s father?« My heart immediately sank. »Yes, what happened?« — »Your son is missing. He went on a mission and went missing.« I ask when it happened. On 13 December, he was supposed to come to a certain time and place, but didn»t come. I ask: «Does that mean he»s not dead?« He says: »No, of course not. The guys were returning.« Well, we»ll hope,” the father says.

Ernest waited for Sasha to return from the combat mission and call him. But on the day of his son«s fellow soldier»s funeral, he was called from the military commissariat and told that his son had died.

“A fellow soldier from Surovikino was with my son in the same battle. He was being buried. I came to the wake. That day, they call me from the military commissariat,” the man recalls. “The son of the deceased fellow soldier even said: «Who, Svetlana Anatolyevna?» I say: «Yes.» He says: «Uncle, be strong. If she calls, it means cargo 200 (military code for deceased).» This was in January 2025. The woman said that my son was in Rostov, they should bring him today or tomorrow. I knew they were in the same battle. Both that one died, and this one died.”

The first document Ernest received was a notification from the military commissariat about his son«s death dated 20 January 2025.

“I regretfully inform you that your son, private rifleman Khachaturov Alexander Ernestovich, born 1997, showing courage in battles for the liberation of the DPR, died on 13 December 2024. Death occurred during military service and is related to the performance of military duties in the course of the SMO.”

“Died from an illness? That can«t be!”

When his son«s body was brought to the Volgograd morgue, the father was given his cross and wedding ring. Ernest had no doubts that it was his son in the coffin. However, along with this, the father was given a death certificate stating that the 27-year-old man died on the territory of the DPR from an illness. Causes of death: left ventricular failure, atherosclerotic heart disease. At the same time, the approximate period between the onset of the pathological process and death was not indicated. Additionally, the certificate had the wrong year of birth for his son.

“I went to Rostov, changed the death certificate, because the first one said 1977, and my son was born in 1997. I immediately noticed the diagnosis: that can«t be,” the father is sure. “I contacted a military doctor, he said: this disease is for at least a 45-year-old man. In simple terms, he explained to me: it»s cellulitis of heart tissues, practically obesity of the heart. What obesity of the heart in a 27-year-old guy, an athlete? That can«t be.”

Since January 2025, Alexander«s body was in the Volgograd morgue. The father refused to bury his son and tried to find out what really happened to him.

“My son lay in the morgue for 8 months, I refused to bury him. They almost called me from the administration, said: «Why aren»t you burying him?« I won»t bury him,” the man says. “When I saw that certificate, I immediately went to the military commissariat to understand what it all means. «Well, it means they might not give you payments.» How so? «Well, death occurred from an illness. Now we»ll call, find out.« She calls the morgue, they tell her: »They messed up there in the unit.« How did they mess up in the unit if he was found on the battlefield? He went into battle, got sick and died? Is that how it turns out?”

At the same time, according to the father, from the words of his son«s fellow soldiers, about a month after his death, the unit commander together with the chief medical officer went to the battlefield where they found Alexander»s body. The chief medical officer found a wound in his chest area, but there are no official confirmations of this. Then the investigator sent a request to the military unit about the circumstances of the soldier«s death, and after that, several months later, the father received a new notification from the military commissariat.

“Your son, private rifleman, participating in the SMO for the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, performing a combat mission, showing heroism and courage, died on 13 December 2024. Death is related to the performance of military duties.”

All this time, while his son was in the morgue, the father wrote complaints and appeals to all possible authorities, but, according to him, he had to wait months for answers. After 8 months, the coffin with Alexander was sent back to the morgue in Rostov-on-Don.

At the end of April 2025, Ernest received the results of the forensic medical examination. However, the man assured that an autopsy was not conducted, and data from another soldier — born 1977 — was entered into the examination.

V1.RU obtained a copy of the forensic medical examination results. After external observation of the corpse and autopsy, the doctor wrote in the conclusion that the cause of Alexander«s death was atherosclerotic heart disease, complicated by the development of acute coronary insufficiency. At the same time, no bodily injuries were found on Alexander»s body.

“What if he comes back?”

Ernest Khachaturov is seeking a repeat forensic medical examination, but the military investigative department of the Southern Military District told him: there are no grounds for conducting an additional or repeat medical examination of the corpse.

“I understand that it«s Sashka. The unit commander went to Rostov, identified him… But I don»t believe he died from an illness,” the man says. “I requested the combat action log, where it should be indicated when he went into battle, from what date he went missing, when he was found. The chief medical officer should insert a note there when he examined him. But they don«t give it to me.”

Response from the Military Investigative Department of the Southern Military District dated 30 September 2025.

On 13 January 2025, a body arrived at the Southern Military District center, to which a conditional number was assigned. On the same day, the body was identified by a representative of military unit 40600 as belonging to a serviceman of the said military unit, private Khachaturov. During the examination of Khachaturov«s corpse, as well as the subsequent forensic medical examination, it was established that the cause of his death was atherosclerotic heart disease, complicated by the development of acute coronary insufficiency. At the same time, no bodily injuries indicating violent death were found. There are no doubts about the validity of this expert conclusion or contradictions in its findings. Considering the information received, there are no grounds for conducting an additional or repeat forensic medical examination.

According to the man, he often thinks about the day he will say goodbye to his son. However, according to the father, he would not want to open the coffin, even if he had doubts.

“Even if I«m not sure that it»s my son in the coffin, I won«t open it during burial. There will be some hope that they made a mistake… What if he comes back? What if they mixed it up?”

“Nothing unusual. But is it the right corpse?”

We showed the forensic medical examination results to an independent forensic medical expert from another city. As the interlocutor says, he has no questions about the conclusion. However, the doubt is about something else: do these results belong to another person?

“Regarding the examination — the diagnosis is as it is, it exists, the described morphological picture from the heart and other organs corresponds to this diagnosis and cause of death. Translating to layman«s terms, ischemic heart disease. No injuries (either internal or external) were found on the corpse,” the expert explains. “A forensic medical expert has no reason to deliberately lie about the cause of death, or about the presence or absence of injuries, for several reasons: a) the expert bears CRIMINAL responsibility individually for giving knowingly false testimony and signs a statement that he is warned about this before the examination; b) even there, photo documentation of corpses is conducted — if desired, everything can be checked; c) if desired, the corpse can be exhumed and checked. Who needs such problems? Another question — is this the right corpse? Experts in morgues receive a body, so to speak, labeled »Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich, born 2000.« The expert doesn»t care if it«s Ivanov, Petrov, or Sidorov. He described it, established the cause, took material — the rest is not his concern.”

At the same time, the forensic expert doubted that a 27-year-old man could have such a disease.

“This is a disease that doesn«t develop in one day. The attack itself could have been triggered by anything — an explosion, watching a hockey match, the death of a relative. But at 27 years old, it»s somewhat unlikely to have ischemic heart disease,” the source assumes. “I don«t exclude the fact that there might be confusion with corpses. The only way to sort this out — is to conduct a genetic examination.”

“He did the right thing by not burying him”

Well-known lawyer Valery Golovanov explained: if a serviceman dies in the zone of the special military operation from a wound, his relatives are entitled to approximately 15 million rubles ($150,000 at current rates). If the soldier dies from an illness, relatives can only count on presidential payments.

“As of today, judging by the documents, the soldier«s death is not related to the performance of a combat task. No payments to the father of the deceased will be made for this, except for presidential 5 million rubles ($50,000),” the lawyer explains. “Although approximately the father should receive about 15 million rubles ($150,000): 5 million presidential, 5 million from the State Duma, 3 million 400 thousand in insurance and a million from the governor.”

The lawyer advised the man to apply to the military garrison court together with a lawyer to achieve the appointment of a repeat forensic medical examination.

“Yes, the father can now take his son«s body and bury him. But I believe that burial is not possible yet. If he buried him, an exhumation would be necessary to conduct a new examination,” Valery Golovanov explains. “There is no other way to protect his interests, except for applying to the military garrison court. The father must do this together with a lawyer. To prove that the soldier had a wound, an additional examination is needed. The serviceman had commanders, he was carried from the battlefield. So, there is an evacuation group. The court should summon them. The father has done a huge job on his own. Here, only one thing is needed — to challenge the medical conclusion.”