Ukraine War Day #717: More Syrsky Fun Facts – Part I

Dear Readers:

Yesterday we welcomed General Syrsky to the team. After laying out the fruit basket, I thought I was done with him, but fun facts keep popping up, so at least a couple more posts while he is still fresh news.

For example: Did you know that Syrsky’s parents still live in Russia? In the city of Vladimir, 200 km east of Moscow. It’s actually one of the oldest Russian cities! Syrsky himself was born there (1965), probably in the same boring Soviet block of flats where his parents continue to live. Conversations around the dinner table must be awkward, whenever the General goes home for a family visit.

Cathedral of the Assumption, Vladimir Russia, reminds us “never to assume...”

I know that fun fact because I saw this piece yesterday. On reading it, I first assumed the reporter (Polina Salkova) was talking about a different city Vladimir, called Volodimir, of course, and located in Western Ukraine. I knew that Syrsky is Russian, of course, but I assumed his family might have moved around and relocated to Ukraine at some point, possibly a military family. But no, because today I saw this one, by our old friend Evgeny Krutikov. Which clarified the matter.

Okay, let’s handle these two pieces in the order in which I read them. Salkova’s piece is short and to the point. Seems like she did what a good reporter should do: She took a trip to Vladimir and started sneaking through the bushes of one of the houses adjacent to the dacha owned by Syrsky’s parents. She was able to find a nosy neighbor willing to dish dirt on the Syrsky family.

Syrsky’s parents are named Vladimir and Galina. They are 84 and 82 years old, respectively, and live on their pensions. They have attempted to remain as secretive as possible, never speaking about their son. To those who do know the truth, they have begged them to please leave them alone, to not punish them for the deeds of their horrible son. They say they are not in touch and only knew about his promotion from reading the newspapers.

“Mr. and Mrs. Syrsky, can I ask you a few questions about your son?”

The parents, along with Syrsky’s brother live in an ordinary block of flats in the center of town, but spend most of their time at their country dacha. Syrsky Mom sings in a choir consisting of retired teachers. Every year the family participates in the patriotic march “Immortal Regiment”, but presumably not holding up posters of their son. They are very showy in their Russian patriotism.

Although the parents wouldn’t talk to reporter Polina, she presumably poked around until she found a nosy neighbor who would spill the beans. A female neighbor (одна из соседок), in this case.

[Actually, I don’t think Polina was there at all, she is just parroting news some other source, but when I clicked on that, it was just the previous link, above, and they didn’t mention the nosy neighbor.]

And Now The Punchline

Anyhow, we finally get to the punchline, this is what the nosy neighbor had to say: Despite whatever the old parents aver about the paternal curse, they are actually in frequent touch with their son, and frequently communicate via video conferencing.

There is more. According to the nosy neighbor, she somehow overheard one of these zoom sessions, and overheard Syrsky himself saying the following unflattering things about his Ukrainian colleagues, as the neighbor is quoted in the Telegram Channel Mash:

«Мы работаем с украинцами, мы сидим в одном штабе, но мы всех их украинцев ненавидим», — цитирует женщину телеграм-канал Mash.

“We work with Ukrainians, we sit in the same HQ with them, but we despise all these Ukrainians.” Syrsky went on to describe his Ukrainian colleagues as “cunning” and “sneaky”.

Next: We turn to Krutikov for more analysis of this bizarre situation.

[to be continued]