MOSCOW, March 17. /TASS/. Criminal investigators from the Russian Investigative Committee have retrieved the remains of 46 people as part of a case of genocide in the Lugansk People’s Republic, the agency has told TASS.
"Investigators from the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the Russian Investigative Committee for the Lugansk People’s Republic have to date retrieved the remains of 46 people and have ordered that they undergo forensic examinations. The identities of 14 victims and their relatives have been established. The work is being carried out as part of an investigation into a case of genocide and the use of prohibited devices and methods in an armed conflict," a statement by the law enforcement agency said. "It was established that from 2016 to December 2022, Ukrainian armed formations carried out about 3,000 artillery bombardments against the civilian population and civilian infrastructure, as a result of which more than 800 citizens, including young children, were killed."
The agency said investigators retrieved the remains of 20 civilians in the village of Shchedrishchevo.
"A visual examination found that some victims suffered shrapnel wounds, had no lower limbs and sustained other injuries that led to their death," the agency said.
It also noted that charges were filed against 16 servicemen of the armed forces of Ukraine, and a court ruled in an in-absentia hearing to place them under custody while pending trial.