Russian special forces soldier was recording his Ukraine war quest. The video was published on YouTube after he was killed

Russian serviceman Vladislav Dyatlov started fighting in Ukraine in April and recorded everything that was happening around him with his phone. He was killed in September, while the photo and videos from his phone were published by the War in Ukraine 2022 YouTube channel. The IStories media outlet picked up the story.

The first video recorded by Dyatlov, 30, dates back to 28 April. In the video, he tells the story of him and his “bro” Zukhrab entering an abandoned house in the village of Nova Kamianka in the Kherson region. Vladislav shows him and his war buddy drinking stolen alcohol as well as says that they “fucking destroyed everything” in the house “looking for gold, but they could not find any.” Later, he does discover some hryvnia in the house.

“We will soon fuck up all khokhols (racial slur for Ukrainians — Novaya Gazeta Europe). We will commit genocide,” Zukhrab says.

“He wants to annihilate the fuck out of these fags, and we will, just a little bit. Now, we can sit down for a bit,” Dyatlov tells him later.

Dyatlov’s phone also contained photos taken between May and August 2022 with other servicemembers, videos recorded in destroyed homes in the Kherson region, a video with a destroyed car and several videos about the conditions the servicemembers live in.

In one of the videos, he demonstrates a dugout shelter covered by a tent and calls this place a dwelling. In another video, he speaks about a big house where Russian servicemembers stayed.

On 25 September, Dyatlov was killed in an artillery shelling in the village of Davydiv Brid, Kherson region. He was buried in Russian on 4 October. The video tells viewers that some of the Russians who were fighting with him died and some were captured.

IStories found Dyatlov’s VK (Russian social media platform) profile. According to the information he provided, he served in the 94th special forces unit in Chechnya’s Grozny. His last workplace is specified as the Russian National Guard.

“He served in the special forces regiment, is a military veteran, awarded with the Service in the Caucasus order. He is posthumously recommended to be awarded with the Order of Courage,” a school page in Dyatlov’s native village reports.

In August, IStories identified Russian soldiers responsible for murdering civilians in the Kyiv region. Servicemember Daniil Frolkin told an IStories reporter about the crimes as well as revealed the names of those who made the orders.