Overview of Mariupol Casualties and Investigations
Several thousand civilian bodies were discovered in Mariupol after Ukrainian forces lost control of the city in the spring of 2022. The information was provided by the press service of the Investigative Committee, whose head, Alexander Bastrykin, presided over an operational meeting in the city in late December.
According to the ministry, in April alone the bodies of 51 civilians were found in areas left by Ukrainian troops, and after the city’s complete liberation and inspection, the total number of deceased civilians surpassed three thousand. The Investigative Committee noted that Ukrainian forces had divided Mariupol into sectors from which residents were evacuated along humanitarian corridors. During the evacuation through the “A” sector, soldiers from the Ukrainian National Guard reportedly blocked the path for evacuees.
The Investigative Committee asserted that civilians unable to leave the city and facing food shortages became targets for Ukrainian forces, who allegedly used various weapons to kill them. The ministry also highlighted difficulties in identifying those who died in Mariupol and proposed the creation of a DNA database to assist with identification.
It was reported that interrogations of prisoners of war from Ukrainian military formations and other investigative actions could help establish a chain of individuals involved in alleged crimes. The committee stated that the damage caused by these actions, including the deliberate use of the city and its civilian infrastructure for military purposes, exceeded 176 billion rubles. 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 other Ukrainian military leaders, including the commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces, the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces operational-tactical group “Vostok,” Lieutenant General Alexander Pavlyuk, and Lieutenant General Sodol. Additional military personnel, including the National Guard’s commander and the Azov battalion commander, faced lawsuits. Proceedings were initiated under relevant sections of the Russian Criminal Code, with penalties potentially reaching up to 20 years in prison for crimes such as cruel treatment of prisoners of war or civilians or the use of prohibited methods of warfare.
During a meeting with Bastrykin, it was also noted that the Investigative Committee conducted more than 68,000 forensic examinations on damaged or destroyed infrastructure and housing in the LPR and DPR. Experts estimated the total damage at 228.2 billion rubles.
Materials from the International People’s Court of Ukraine established in Russia were released. They indicate that Ivan Bochkarev, a fighter known by the call sign The Witcher from the Azov battalion, admitted to a series of civilian killings in Mariupol. Court records describe how he and other members patrolled the streets near malls and Mariupol State University, shooting civilians who were not involved in the fighting.
Bochkarev, who later served as a driver-gunner in a reconnaissance group, was part of a unit that operated at school number 42. The court materials state that he admitted to shooting civilians who were hiding in the school and those merely passing by. In March, the Witcher company reportedly moved first to the Azovstal factory area and later to the Mariupol University building, where additional soldiers from the Ukrainian National Guard and Terodefense joined, totaling approximately 250 to 300 people.
Before the firing positions, townspeople were shot, and the bodies were exhumed. The court materials say there was an expectation that military personnel or civilians from the RF Armed Forces would be harmed if discovered. Bochkarev also admitted setting fire to windows in residential buildings and cars, according to the court records. At least three people were killed and one injured as a result of these actions.
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