Burials of the deceased have been banned in occupied Oleshky

In the occupied town of Oleshky, located in the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region, only the deceased are permitted to be buried, while the bodies of those killed are reportedly transported to Kalanchak for forensic examination. Relatives are not always informed of the exact location where their loved ones will eventually be buried.

“It has reached the point where a distinct odor of decay was already emanating from one of the hospital buildings in Oleshky, which is not intended for storing the bodies of the deceased and the fallen. Therefore, a requirement was introduced to transport to Kalanchak only the bodies of people who died from shelling or were killed by landmines. The occupiers explain this by saying they are documenting ‘crimes committed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.’ But there are bodies that were taken to Kalanchak three months ago and four months ago, and they have not been returned to their families. In other words, this is a one-way trip, even for a body,” Hanasenko noted.

She shared the story of a mother whose son was killed and whose body was taken away.

“She was so devastated by this, so desperately waiting for her son’s body. And she was told that he had been buried somewhere—either in Dobropillia or Dobrosillia. Which specific community—it’s unknown,” added Gasanenko. According to her, the man’s body lay there from December to May before being buried in an unknown location.

The head of the MVA added that those who receive information about exactly where their deceased relatives were buried are lucky.

As for those who die of natural causes, burial certificates are issued to their families at the local hospital. Then, since there is no public transportation in the city, two people transport the body to the cemetery in a wheelbarrow, where graves have been dug since the fall.

As for the hospital, as Gasanenko noted, several local doctors, mostly older people, work there. According to her, it is at least a relief that people admitted to the hospital receive some food there, as the supply of medicines and food to the blockaded city is limited.

Tetyana Gasanenko, head of the Oleshky District Military Administration, told Ukrinform about this.

Budanov called the killing of Ukrainian children a clearly planned genocide.

On June 4, Ukraine observes the Day of Remembrance for Children Who Died as a Result of the Russian Federation’s Armed Aggression Against Ukraine. This is one of the most painful dates on the Ukrainian calendar, as it is dedicated to children whose lives were taken by the war.

Ukraine honors the memory of children killed by Russian aggression