An 18-year-old serviceman from Bratsk, Lev Okkert, who signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense despite health restrictions, died in the war in Ukraine, reports «Sibir.Realii»*.
Okkert graduated from school No. 40 in Bratsk in June 2024. On June 19, he turned 18, and at the end of August, he signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense. «He told me that he decided to sign the contract because he was generally unfit for army service, but he wanted to serve,» a friend of Okkert told the publication.
The young man died in the very first month — on September 30, 2024, becoming one of the youngest Russian soldiers to die in Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense recruits 18-year-old citizens to the front, despite the lack of conscription experience and health restrictions.
The one-time payment for signing a contract in the Irkutsk region is 400 thousand rubles. According to «People of Baikal», since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 2,219 natives of the region have died in the war.
* Recognized in Russia as a «foreign agent» and «undesirable» organization.