Russia-backed separatists begin to exhume bodies

(19 Aug 2021) Russia-backed separatists in Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine on Thursday began to exhume bodies from a cemetery where 50 bodies of civilian and military persons are believed to be buried. The mass grave in the city of Snizhne was pointed out by local residents and excavated as part of efforts to uncover where victims of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine are buried. Authorities have announced that the bodies will be identified and handed over to relatives for burial. The conflict in the industrial center of eastern Ukraine, Donbas, erupted in April 2014, weeks after Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula. Russian-backed separatists took control of large areas in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, created so-called "people's republics" and fought government forces trying to regain control. During the armed conflict in the east of Ukraine, more than 14,000 people died. Separatist authorities said that since 2014 around 150 burial sites of missing persons have been found near Donetsk. At the moment, the whereabouts of 354 people remain unknown. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...