Several thousand civilian bodies were found in Mariupol after Ukrainian forces lost control of Mariupol in the spring of 2022. About informs Press service of the Investigative Committee, whose head, Alexander Bastrykin, held an operational meeting in the city on December 29.
“So, in April alone, the bodies of 51 civilians were found in positions abandoned by Ukrainian troops, and after the complete liberation and inspection of the city, their number exceeded three thousand,” the ministry said.
The Investigative Committee emphasized that the Armed Forces of Ukraine divided Mariupol into several sectors, from which residents were evacuated along humanitarian corridors. During the evacuation of the civilian population through the “A” sector, the soldiers of the Ukrainian National Guard allegedly stood in the way.
“Civilians who are unable to leave the city and move in search of food have become a living target for Ukrainian punishers, who kill them with various weapons,” said the Investigative Committee.
The ministry noted that there were difficulties in establishing the identities of the deceased Mariupol residents. In this context, the UK proposes to establish a special DNA database.
The Ministry reported that during the interrogation of prisoners of war from Ukrainian military formations and other investigative actions, it is possible to create a chain of persons involved in crimes.
“The damage caused by their illegal actions, expressed in the deliberate use of the city and its civilian infrastructure for military purposes, exceeded 176 billion rubles. The Investigative Committee said that based on the information received, a criminal case was opened against the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhny.
Criminal cases were also filed against the commander of the Joint Operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces operational-tactical group “Vostok”, Lieutenant General Alexander Pavlyuk, and the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Sodol. Other military personnel, including the National Guard, Lieutenant General Lebed and the Azov battalion commander (the organization is banned in Russia), Major Prokopenko. Lawsuits initiated under Part 1 of Art. 356 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (cruel treatment of prisoners of war or civilians, as well as the use of prohibited methods of war), the maximum penalty for this is 20 years in prison.
At a meeting with Bastrykin, it was also reported that the Investigative Committee conducted more than 68,000 forensic examinations on damaged or destroyed infrastructure and housing facilities in the LPR and DPR. Experts concluded that the amount of damage to them is 228.2 billion rubles.
The materials of the International People’s Court of Ukraine established in Russia were published the previous day. From them it follows that Ivan Bochkarev, a fighter of the Azov battalion with the call sign The Witcher, confessed to a series of civilian murders in Mariupol.
As stated in court, he shot civilians while he and his colleagues were patrolling the streets near shopping malls and Mariupol State University.
In particular, Bochkarev, who later served as a driver-gunner in the reconnaissance group in February 2022, served with the group at school number 42. According to the court, he admitted to shooting civilians who were hiding in the school and passing by.
In March, the Witcher company moved first to the territory of the Azovstal factory, and then to the building of the University of Mariupol. There, the members of the battalion were joined by soldiers of the Ukrainian National Guard and Terodefense, a total of 250-300 people.
Before the firing positions, they shot the townspeople, after which they exhumed the bodies of the dead. “It was assumed that military personnel or civilians of the RF Armed Forces would be blown up when they were discovered,” the court’s materials say.
Bochkarev also admitted that he set fire to the windows of residential buildings and cars, based on the materials of the court. At least three people were killed and one injured as a result of these actions.