Police investigate deaths of more than 12,000 Ukrainians; 1,200 bodies not yet found

VALENTYNA ROMANENKO – MONDAY, 13 JUNE 2022,13:20 p.m.

The National Police of Ukraine is investigating criminal cases concerning the death of more than 12,000 Ukrainians. 1,200 bodies, some of them found in mass graves, haven’t been identified yet.

Source: Ihor Klymenko, Head of the National Police of Ukraine, in an interview for the agency "Interfax Ukraine"

Quote: "We have received messages from all over Ukraine, and have opened criminal cases concerning the demise of more than 12,000 people found in particular in mass graves."

Details: Klymenko stated that Kyiv oblast alone has a toll of over 1,500 civilians. In Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel and Borodianka there were a lot of deceased civilians lying in the streets – snipers had shot at them from tanks, from armoured personnel carriers, despite the people wearing the white armbands that the Russians had made them wear.

He added that many people were found dead in their own houses and apartments, most of them had mine-blast traumas as their cause of death.

Klymenko isn’t yet ready to announce concrete numbers of bodies found in mass graves, as the police are finding a couple of bodies every week.

"There were 116 people buried in one such grave in Bucha, there were also smaller burials of 5-7 people. Residents collected the bodies and buried them in parks." he added.

According to the National Police Head’s words, approximately 75% of the deceased are men, nearly 2% are children, the rest are women. "They were civilians with no connection whatsoever to military or law enforcement structures," Klymenko emphasised.

He also remarked that the procedure of exhumation is a lengthy and complicated process.  

Quote: "For now, nearly 1,200 bodies haven’t been identified yet. This process is lengthy and quite painstaking because a lot of bodies are in a state of decomposition.

We take the DNA of those who called our hotline (0 800 21 21 51), then compare the DNA profiles with the profiles of the deceased, buried, shot civilians who haven't been identified. We take DNA only from direct relatives – mother, father, biological children. We only work this way."