Number of those killed during occupation will be known after territories are demined – Kyrylenko

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

Speaking about Lyman community, which was de-occupied in 2022, he said that there were no separate burial sites of civilians or soldiers there - "trenches were dug in a local cemetery, in separate areas, bodies or body fragments of servicemen and civilians were retrieved."

"At the time of the exhumation, more than 136 bodies of the dead were discovered and identified in Lyman community, but this number is growing. I believe that the investigator will be able to name the exact figure after the demining process is completed and the entire territory of the community is examined. Because there has been no comprehensive approach yet to the process of demining in Donetsk region," Kyrylenko explained, stressing that the indicated figure (136) includes both civilians and military personnel.

According to him, the areas where infrastructure is being restored or additional defense lines are being built are currently being demined in the region.

"This process is ongoing. It is not complete, because more burials are discovered. However, after mass burials were discovered, the exhumation was conducted - all the bodies were transferred to morgues and to expert institutions for their identification. The figures in this regard lie within competence of the investigators who conduct the pre-trial investigation, which is extremely important, because it is one of the key pieces of evidence of the atrocities committed by the Russian military."

As Ukrinform reported, in October 2022, Lyman and Sviatohirsk communities in Donetsk region were de-occupied. From June 5 to 11, 2023, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated seven settlements during counteroffensive operations.