Volunteer 'The Old Man' dies after surviving deadly assault
Last video 'Old Man': how the 'Alga' battalion was destroyed. Ruslan Fayzudinov, codenamed 'Old Man', a volunteer from Kazan with extensive military experience, became the main chronicler of the tragedy of the Tatarstan 'Alga' battalion.
Consensus
- Ruslan Fayzutdinov was a volunteer from Kazan with military experience.
- He was known as 'The Old Man' and served in the Tatarstan national battalion 'Alga'.
- On February 6, 2023, under Ugledar, the battalion was sent into a minefield without reconnaissance or artillary preparation.
- Of 120 soldiers, only 27 survived the assault.
- Fayzutdinov was severely wounded, with both hands shattered.
- He coordinated the retreat of a BMP vehicle over the bodies of fallen comrades.
- He publicly labeled the battalion a 'meat factory' and accused commanders of criminal negligence.
- Despite his disability, he was declared fit for service again by the military commission in summer 2025.
- He died on the front line in January 2016.
- Tatarstan has lost at least 9,700 people in the war according to the sources.
Points of divergence
- Fayzutdinov died in January 2026. — tg_idelrealii
- Fayzutdinov died on the front line in January 26, 2026. — tg_radiosvoboda
Coverage (4 sources)
- Last video of 'Old Man': how the 'Alga' battalion was destroyed — Idel.Реалии
- Volunteer from Kazan Ruslan Fayzutdinov with callsign "Old Man" managed to describe in detail the catastrophe of the Tatarstan national battalion "Alga"... — Idel.Реалии
- The Fate of 'Old Man': How the Chronicler of the 'Alga' Battalion Perished — Радио Свобода
- The Fate of 'Old Man': How the Chronicler of the 'Alga' Battalion Perished — Idel.Реалии