Investigative Committee announced the discovery of 3,000 bodies of local residents in Mariupol

After the Ukrainian military left Mariupol, about 3,000 bodies of murdered local residents were found in the city. About it informed Chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin during an operational meeting in Mariupol.

“So, only in April 2022, the bodies of 51 civilians were found at the positions abandoned by the Ukrainian troops, and after the complete liberation and examination of the city, their number amounted to more than three thousand,” he said.

At the same time, not all individuals can be identified, in connection with which the Investigative Committee proposed “to organize work to form a database of the DNA of the dead” so that relatives have the opportunity to find out the fate of their loved ones who are listed as missing.”

According to the investigation, during the operation of humanitarian corridors through one of the sections of Mariupol (sector “A”), “fighters of the National Guard of Ukraine artificially created obstacles for the evacuation” of civilians from the city.

The investigation found that Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (APU) Valery Zaluzhny, as well as a number of other Ukrainian military men, were involved in the crimes. A criminal case was initiated against them on the fact of the use of prohibited methods of warfare and ill-treatment of civilians and prisoners of war (part 1 of article 356 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The maximum penalty under this article is imprisonment for up to 20 years. The total amount of damage that they caused to the city when using its infrastructure for military purposes amounted to over 176 billion rubles.

After the start of a special military operation on February 24, the Russian military began to fight in Mariupol. On April 21, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin on the liberation of the city. May 4 Shoigu informedthat Mariupol is under the control of the Russian army, a peaceful life is being established in the city. May 20 Minister reported Putin on the completion of the operation and the complete liberation of the territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant in Mariupol.