Russian troops reportedly using humanitarian aid trucks to remove civilian bodies from Mariupol

Petro Andryushchenko, an aide to the mayor of Mariupol, said that members of the Russian armed forces have been using the same trucks that bring humanitarian aid to the city to transport the bodies of dead civilians to mass grave sites.

In a Telegram post, Andryushchenko wrote that city officials first became suspicious after representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic posted videos taken from a drone. A screenshot of the video posted by Andryushchenko shows several trucks parked next to the ruins of apartment buildings.

In order to find out what the trucks were being used for, Ukrainian officials reached out to their sources in Mariupol. “As of this morning, we can say with certainty that the occupiers have transported thousands of dead bodies out of Mariupol, however savage it may sound, in ‘humanitarian aid’ trucks,” said Andryushchenko.

According to Andryushchenko, the trucks are coming to Mariupol with humanitarian aid, and on their way back from the city, they carry dead bodies, presumably to a mobile crematorium in Khartsyzk, a city near Donetsk. “We continue to work to corroborate this information,” he added.

• Mariupol is currently occupied by Russian troops. Multiple mass grave sites have been found in areas around the city in recent weeks, including in the villages of Manhush, Vinogradnoe, and Staryi Krym. According to Mariupol's city council, at least 22 thousand people have died in the city since the war began.