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Military intelligence: Russia building new facilities for sorting, storing bodies of its dead soldiers

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Russia is building facilities for sorting and storing corpses of its soldiers killed during Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) claimed on May 31.

This indicates that Russia can no longer hide the scale of its losses in the war, the intelligence said.

Facilities with an area of more than 4,000 square meters are being prepared in Kursk and Rostov-on-Don, according to the report. They will reportedly be equipped with refrigerating chambers, morgues, and mourning halls, as well as facilities for the medical examination of corpses.

Ukraine’s intelligence estimates the cost of the Rostov facility at 1.6 billion rubles ($19.7 million) and the Kursk facility at 1.8 billion rubles ($22.1 million), putting the total number at 34 billion rubles ($41.9 million).

Due to the high number of losses, Russia has reportedly used crematoria to burn the bodies of its dead soldiers.

The latest estimate by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine puts Russian casualties in the invasion of Ukraine at 207,910.

Official: Russia faces ‘colossal losses’ Avdiivka and Marinka in Donetsk Oblast
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Martin Fornusek

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Martin Fornusek is a reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in international and regional politics, history, and disinformation. Based in Lviv, Martin often reports on international politics, with a focus on analyzing developments related to Ukraine and Russia. His career in journalism began in 2021 after graduating from Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, earning a Master's degree in Conflict and Democracy Studies. Martin has been invited to speak on Times Radio, France 24, Czech Television, and Radio Free Europe. He speaks English, Czech, and Ukrainian.

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