Since the town was retaken from Russian forces in late March, Ukrainian investigators have inspected 269 dead corpses in Irpin, near Kyiv, a police officer said on Monday, while workmen dug new graves on the outskirts.
The town, which had a pre-war population of over 62,000 people, was one of the primary battlegrounds for Russian soldiers before they withdrew from Ukraine‘s northern areas to focus on their advance in the east.
Dozens of fresh graves have been dug and wreaths piled high in a cemetery on the outskirts of Irpin. On Monday, workmen hurriedly shovelled the sandy ground into one grave under the watchful eye of a few heartbroken mourners.
At an online conference, Serhiy Panteleyev, first deputy head of the police’s main investigation department, said, “As of now, we have inspected 269 deceased bodies.”
He shared photographs of severely burnt human bones and claimed forensic work was still being done to ascertain the cause of death for several of the victims.
He said seven areas in Irpin where civilians were allegedly shot were inspected, but he didn’t elaborate.
Russia denies targeting people and disputes charges that its troops committed war crimes in Ukraine’s occupied territory.
