The occupiers are collecting data on the dead and missing in Mariupol – adviser to the mayor

OLENA ROSHCHINA  — TUESDAY, 19 APRIL 2022, 10:42

The Russian occupiers in Mariupol are trying to "legalise" the burial of the bodies of civilians. They are collecting data on the dead and missing Mariupol residents, and are also monitoring the families’ search groups on social media.

Source: Petro Andriushchenko, Adviser to the Mayor of Mariupol 

Quote: "The situation with burials is taking another turn. Since yesterday, the occupiers have been reporting on the "clarification of the DPR ombudsman" [self-proclaimed "Donetsk People’s Republic"]... To obtain any paper on the death of relatives in Mariupol, people have to provide information about the dead, burial place or location of the body, personal data – and only after inspection by the commission will a person receive a death certificate and the right to bury a relative in the cemetery.

In fact, in this way, the occupiers are trying to legalise, in the eyes of those Mariupol residents who remain in the city and for propaganda, the exhumation and removal of bodies from the streets.

Given the almost complete lack of communication and most importantly – electricity, and the possibility to give this data (not to mention the usefulness of this process), such a procedure is impossible to perform.

Given the attempt to obtain data on the dead and their burial places, it also seems to be a search for possible military burial sites."

Details: Andriushchenko adds that "all socials (chat groups, telegram channels, FB groups) in Mariupol about the search for relatives, establishing injuries, etc., are under the administration of "DPR volunteers " [self-proclaimed "Donetsk People’s Republic"], and in fact – under the control of Russian Federal Security Service agents."

The occupiers are trying to create a positive image not only by distributing "humanitarian" aid, but also by asking residents to search for their relatives on the information resources of the so-called "DPR" [self-proclaimed "Donetsk People’s Republic"] and Russia.

To make a "search", you must provide your personal information, including your current location, and the person you are looking for, including their most recent location.

"Such services do not work either to search or to help. They have a single purpose – the collection and analysis of personal data for further "filtering" in Mariupol, attempts to involve people in cooperation and organisation of effective IPSO (information and psychological operations - ed.)," declares Andriushchenko.

According to him, "there are no volunteers in the civilised sense in Russia and its satellites: they are always either state employees or Federal Security Service agents."

"In addition, Donetsk is experiencing a major humanitarian crisis in water supply and food. Therefore, the origin of this "humanitarian aid" is clear," added the adviser to the mayor of Mariupol.