The kremlin is attempting to conceal evidence of war crimes in Mariupol
Changes have been recorded at sites of mass burials of civilians killed during the fighting in 2022 in the occupied Mariupol district. These include the Starokrymske cemetery, as well as cemeteries in the villages of Vynohradne and Mangush.
According to the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office, approximately 6,500 criminal proceedings have been registered regarding the deaths of civilians, including around 200 children. Due to the lack of access to the occupied city, the exact number of victims remains unknown: various estimates indicate that between 8,000 and 21,000 civilians were killed during the fighting for Mariupol.
Satellite imagery shows that in Vynohradne the mass burial site was converted into individual graves, while in Mangush the area was first cleared and then repurposed for road expansion.
Such actions indicate attempts by the russian side to conceal the scale of war crimes, erase evidence of mass killings, and create the illusion of “normal life” in the occupied territories.
Despite efforts to portray Mariupol as a showcase of the so-called “russian world,” the occupation authorities are cynically destroying the memory of the victims and the consequences of their own aggression.
