Police have completed investigative actions at the cemetery in Lyman, where two mass graves were discovered shortly after the town was deoccupied, the Donetsk regional police have said. The graves contained the bodies of 146 Ukrainians killed by Russians.
One grave had bodies of civilians, the other contained Ukrainian servicemen's bodies. According to law enforcement officers, the dead were buried in trenches, some of the graves are unmarked.
The exhumation has lasted two weeks, today it was completed. The bodies of 111 civilians and 35 military were found.
"As of today, 25 mass graves have been identified in Lyman, investigative teams are working there. In total, 58 such burials have already been found in the liberated settlements. Every day, the police receive new reports from residents about buried people. However, some of these graves are still not accessible due to active hostilities," the police said.
According to law enforcers, among the civilians exhumed in the north of Donetsk Region there were 85 men, 66 women, five children, the sex of 10 more people has not been established.
"The most difficult thing ahead is to establish the identity and cause of death of each victim. According to preliminary data, people died from mine-blast and shrapnel wounds as a result of Russian shelling, as well as from natural causes. There are bodies with signs of violent death. The number of people executed by Russian soldiers will be made public after all examinations are completed," the police added.
Law enforcers asked relatives of the victims from the Lyman community to submit biological samples for DNA testing. This can be done at the nearest police station.
According to police, a total of 166 bodies have been exhumed in the deoccupied territories of northern Donetsk Region, including five children.