HUAI YAI, THAILAND – White carnations, lilies, roses and a single cup of coffee marked the goodbye where the bodies of Diana and Roman Nazimova lay.
Hundreds of people came on Thursday to the forest in Huai Yai. Thais, Russians, officials and strangers who followed the case for weeks attended a Buddhist ceremony led by five monks from Wat Samakkhibanphot in Sattahip.
Coffee was Diana’s favourite drink
Sharina Nazimova placed a giant bouquet of red roses and a cup of coffee at the spot where her children’s bodies were found.
Those who were there said the crowd fell silent at the sight.
said a witness who did not give their name.
Governor and police chief took part
Chonburi Governor Narit Niramaiwong attended. Pol. Gen. Pongphan Wongmanithet, provincial police chief, came along with district chief Anusak Piriyamorn and Pol. Col. Worawut Nittayawan, Huai Yai police station chief.
Hundreds of Thais and foreigners arrived. Sharina Nazimova wept through the entire ceremony. Relatives, friends and strangers stood beside her. She refused interviews.
Sharina thanked the Thai people
Her only words after the ceremony were thanks to the public, the authorities, the police and the volunteers.
The sympathy of the Thai people helped me through the hardest days of my life.
said Sharina Nazimova, mother of the victims.
Prayers also for three Thai victims
Sharina Nazimova explicitly asked that the ceremony include the three Thai victims – a married couple and their daughter. Relatives of that family also came.
They laid flowers at the spot where the siblings’ bodies were found. They spoke little. What they said was blunt: they want all perpetrators to receive the full punishment of the law.
The Thai victims’ relatives said they were shaken when they saw how deep the site was in the forest, far from any settlement. It showed, they said, how much effort the killers put into hiding the bodies.
Ground radar to rule out more victims
Right after the ceremony, investigators began using a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) from Stream DP, provided by Summit Engineering and Service Co., Ltd. in coordination with the archaeology department of Silpakorn University.
The device sends high-frequency radar signals into the ground and analyses reflections. It can detect dug-up and refilled areas but cannot locate bodies directly. Every anomaly must be manually excavated and forensically confirmed.
Pol. Gen. Chatchai Surachetkphong, commander of Region 2, led the planning meeting on the morning of August 6 at Huai Yai police station. The radar sweep is a precaution – investigators do not rule out more victims in the same area.
Russian community split between solidarity and unease
Russians living in Thailand were among the mourners. One attendee said he has lived in the country for three years and felt less safe after this news. But he stressed that every country has bad people – that applies to Thailand and Russia.
Those following the case from Russia see it differently. Many have the image that Thailand is dangerous. I don’t know how to explain that.
said a Russian attendee who did not give his name.
Sharina Nazimova has lived in Thailand since 2018. Diana and Roman moved to join her in 2021. She raised both siblings alone.