Apr 12, 2015

DPR human rights ombudswoman: Ukrainian officials destroying bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers

An Orthodox priest stands next to the bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers at a checkpoint captured by pro-Russian rebels in Krasniy Partizan on January 25 2015.Mstyslav Chernov / Associated Press

10th of April, 2015. Donetsk People’s Republic, Novorossiya.

The DPR human rights ombudswoman Darya Morozova has information about Ukrainian officials destroying the bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers to conceal the amount of their losses in Donbass. In particular, she spoke of the mass destruction of the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers near Debaltsevo. She said that according to locals, Ukrainian soldiers “heaped up the bodies of their comrades in lorries, fired at them with tank guns, and then recorded them as missing”.

“I have eyewitness testimony to this. In addition, I have information that some places, the Ukrainian forces dump bodies out of helicopters. Right now, all these facts are the basis for our claims. We’ll note down all the crimes committed against the people by the Ukrainian authorities. Then, we’d send all the information to Ukrainian and international courts. I understand that the Hague Tribunal won’t touch it. However, we hope that we can still see justice done. We shouldn’t let these crimes go unpunished,” – Darya Morozova said.