Russia's silence for families of troops killed in Ukraine

They were never there from the Guardian [of the UK]
"The Kremlin denies sending troops into the conflict in east Ukraine, but Russian relatives of those who have served and died across the border tell a different story. ... State-controlled television has occasionally reported on the deaths of Russian “volunteers” in Ukraine, but any discussion of servicemen being deployed there remains taboo."
The number of Russian troops in eastern Ukraine is growing -- even as the official denials of Russian involvement become more insistent.  Read this entire story -- it's like an undercover version of Vietnam!  According to one source, Russia already has 18,000 troops there.  Those are Kennedy-esque Vietnam era numbers -- and Putin is trying to do it largely hidden from the view of average Russians.  With hundreds of Russian troops dying, how long can Putin sustain this con?