“She cried, and cried, and cried”. Grieving Russian mother died on the grave of her son killed in Ukraine

Olga Sharypova, 51, was found dead at her son Maxim’s graveside in the town of Baley, in the remote Zabaykalsky region of eastern Siberia, on August 21. Her husband, Alexander, confirmed to Mediazona she had gone to the cemetery the previous morning and never returned. An expert examination concluded she died of cardiac arrest.

“She said she was going to our son, to see him, to be with him,” he told Mediazona. “Then we called and called, but her phone didn’t answer. We kept hoping she would come home.”

Maxim Sharypov, 23, the eldest of the couple’s three sons, was killed near the village of Vidradne in Ukraine’s Donetsk region on June 23. He had been serving as a senior tank driver-mechanic on a contract with the Ministry of Defence, local military commissar Yevgeny Bolonev told Chita.ru.

His death left his mother utterly broken. Olga, who had worked as a cleaner in a local shop, quit her job and was consumed by grief.

“When our son died, she stopped working,” her husband said. “His death completely broke her. We sought help everywhere. She was in hospital, they gave her injections, but she was just feeling awful. She just cried, and cried, and cried. She went to a mental health professional. We tried everything to relieve the stress. Nothing helped.”

The family faced significant financial hardship. Alexander is unable to work due to a disability that classifies him as unable to hold regular employment, and the family, which includes two other underage sons, was surviving on 30,000 roubles (approx. $370) a month. Leaked records show that Olga Sharypova had outstanding debts and had been taking out high-interest microloans, a common resort for Russians facing financial distress.

According to his father, Maxim first joined the army for his compulsory service after a dispute with a girlfriend who insisted he serve. He later signed up to fight in Ukraine after she rejected him completely. Alexander said his son had grown tired of the war but “didn’t want to abandon his lads”—he was a tank crew commander.

The family’s grief was compounded by a lack of official support. Alexander said the local district administration offered no help with Maxim’s funeral arrangements. “Of course, this administration didn’t help at all. They brought a wreath and that was it,” he said, reportedly with a laugh of despair. “People raised the money, his fellow servicemen collected funds. It cost about 200,000 roubles” (around $2,500).

The family has once again been forced to turn to local community for help to bury Olga. “Everyone has collected money again themselves, thank you to the good people,” her husband said. Her funeral was due to be held on August 26.