In a nearby Russian Orthodox church, a priest makes similar patriotic points.
"Nikita wasn't afraid of the forces of evil. He defended us so that we could have peaceful skies," says Father Nikolai, as some 200 people gather to listen to the eulogy.
Standing outside are two former classmates of Avrov, who give their names as Sergei and Anton.
"Nikita was a soldier and died in combat. That's a heroic deed," says Sergei.
"We have to defend our country. It's true that it's the best ones who die," adds Anton.
A mournful mood about such deaths prevails among women present.
The exact numbers of Russian troops killed in Ukraine are not known, while a Kremlin spokesman last week acknowledged they are "significant". Russia last gave a figure of 1,351 deaths, on March 25.
"It's very painful; it's very scary when they die so young," says Anna Korolyova, a 59-year-old neighbour, carrying two carnations.
At the cemetery, another woman, 48-year-old Svetlana, who prefers not to give her surname, expresses bemusement.
"It's terrifying to even imagine what the mother feels. You wouldn't wish that on your enemy. What grief. What are these horrors happening, that mothers are losing children? This can have no justification," she says.
