Alleged Russian use of mobile crematoriums in Ukraine

Claims of the use of mobile crematoriums by Russian forces first appeared in 2015 in the Russo-Ukrainian War. U.S. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry told Bloomberg in 2015 that "[t]he Russians are trying to hide their casualties by taking mobile crematoriums with them [...] They are trying to hide not only from the world but from the Russian people their involvement", and that U.S. Representative Seth Moulton, who traveled to Ukraine in 2015, confirmed the claims. Thornberry and Moulton told Bloomberg that the reports were supported by U.S. and other intelligence in addition to Ukrainian intelligence.{{cite news |last1=Rogin |first1=Josh |title=Putin Burns His Dead to Cover Up His Ukraine Aggression |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2015-05-26/putin-burns-his-dead-to-hide-ukraine-aggression |access-date=1 July 2025 |work=Bloomberg.com |archive-url=https://archive.is/op19f |archive-date=29 May 2017 |language=en}} The then-head of the Ukrainian security agency, Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, had also at the time reported seven mobile crematoriums having entered militant-held areas of Ukraine in January 2015, and said "[e]ach of these crematoriums burns 8–10 bodies per day."

Just before the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, the British Ministry of Defense released images of what it claimed were vehicle-mounted crematoriums. The British Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace suggested to The Daily Telegraph that they would be used to hide evidence of battlefield casualties, describing them as "chilling".{{cite news |last1=Nicholls |first1=Dominic |title=Russia deploys mobile crematoriums to follow its troops into battle |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/02/23/russia-deploys-mobile-crematorium-follow-troops-battle/ |access-date=12 August 2022 |publisher=Telegraph |date=23 February 2022 |archive-date=26 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220226093230/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/02/23/russia-deploys-mobile-crematorium-follow-troops-battle/ |url-status=live }} He also suggested it may have been developed to avoid domestic criticism of the war arising from any large visible casualties, stating "[i]t's a very chilling side effect of how the Russians view their forces and for those of you who served, and being a soldier, knowing that trundling behind you is a way to evaporate you if you are killed in battle probably says everything you need to know about the Russian regime." The report subsequently caused The Telegraph to become blocked in Russia.{{cite news |last1=Karmanau |first1=Yuras |last2=Leicester |first2=John |last3=Keyton |first3=David |title='Everything that can burn is on fire' as Russia bombards eastern Ukraine |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/everything-that-can-burn-is-on-fire-as-russia-bombards-eastern-ukraine |access-date=12 August 2022 |agency=Associated Press |publisher=PBS |date=21 June 2022 |archive-date=12 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812042150/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/everything-that-can-burn-is-on-fire-as-russia-bombards-eastern-ukraine |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Roth |first1=Andrew |title=Russia blocks Telegraph website over Ukraine reporting |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/21/russia-blocks-telegraph-website-over-ukraine-reporting |access-date=12 August 2022 |publisher=The Telegraph |date=21 June 2022 |archive-date=12 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812042149/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/21/russia-blocks-telegraph-website-over-ukraine-reporting |url-status=live }} The pre-war footage released by the British Ministry of Defense showed text stating the equipment was made by a St. Petersburg company called Tourmaline, describing itself as 'The Russian Incinerator Company', and it being created for the destruction of hazardous biological waste. Snopes judged that the video, uploaded in 2015, was a promotional video from August 2013,{{cite news |last1=Ibrahim |first1=Nur |title=Is Russia Using Mobile Crematoriums to Hide Evidence of Casualties in Ukraine? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/russia-mobile-crematoriums/ |access-date=12 August 2022 |publisher=Snopes |date=24 February 2022 |archive-date=12 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812042150/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/russia-mobile-crematoriums/ |url-status=live }} and labeled these claims as "unproven".

On 3 March 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters that "[t]he Russian people dying here, nobody is counting them, people dying in this war. Do you know they have brought a cremation chamber with them? They're not going to show the bodies to their families. They're not going to tell the mothers that their children died here".{{cite news |last1=Mackintosh |first1=Eliza |title=The bodies of Russian soldiers are piling up in Ukraine, as Kremlin conceals true toll of war |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/23/europe/ukraine-war-russian-soldiers-deaths-cmd-intl/index.html |access-date=12 August 2022 |publisher=CNN |date=23 March 2022 |archive-date=27 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327172447/https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/23/europe/ukraine-war-russian-soldiers-deaths-cmd-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}

On 6 April 2022, the Mariupol City Council accused Russia of using mobile crematoriums to burn the corpses of civilians to hide evidence of war crimes, writing "[k]illers cover their tracks".{{cite news |title=Burning bodies: Ukraine accuses Russia of covering up atrocities |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/6/mariupol-mayor-accuses-russia-of-atrocities |access-date=12 August 2022 |publisher=Al-Jazeera |date=6 April 2022 |archive-date=12 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812042150/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/6/mariupol-mayor-accuses-russia-of-atrocities |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Epstein |first1=Jake |title=Ukraine says Russia is using 'mobile crematoriums' to burn the bodies of civilians in Mariupol and hide evidence of war crimes |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-russia-troops-crematoriums-burn-bodies-war-crimes-mariupol-2022-4?r=US&IR=T |access-date=12 August 2022 |publisher=Business Insider |date=6 April 2022 |archive-date=12 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812042150/https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-russia-troops-crematoriums-burn-bodies-war-crimes-mariupol-2022-4?r=US&IR=T |url-status=live }} The Council alleged Russian authorities had "ordered the destruction of any evidence of crimes committed by its army in Mariupol" after the international outrage caused by the discovery of the Bucha atrocities. Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko told The Associated Press in April that "[m]obile crematoriums have arrived in the form of trucks: You open it, and there is a pipe inside and these bodies are burned", stating he had several sources telling of methodical burning of corpses by Russian forces.{{cite news |last1=Karmanau |first1=Yuras |last2=Schreck |first2=Adam |last3=Anna |first3=Cara |title=Mariupol mayor says siege has killed more than 10K civilians |url=https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-state-of-the-union-address-zelenskyy-biden-kyiv-7cc069b80178629a60f4f2d166348d45 |access-date=12 August 2022 |publisher=The Associated Press |date=12 April 2022 |archive-date=12 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412194237/https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-state-of-the-union-address-zelenskyy-biden-kyiv-7cc069b80178629a60f4f2d166348d45 |url-status=live }} Boychenko stated at that time the civilian death toll could surpass 20,000, accusing Russian forces of blocking humanitarian convoys to conceal the extent of casualties.

Through 2023 and 2024, Ukrainian officials continued to allege Russian use of mobile crematoriums in occupied and frontline territories, such as in Chernihiv Oblast; Novoaidar, Luhansk Oblast;{{cite news |last1=Kholodnova |first1=Anna |title=Main Directorate of Intelligence: At the front, the Russians use at least five mobile crematoria |url=https://babel.ua/en/news/89829-main-directorate-of-intelligence-at-the-front-the-russians-use-at-least-five-mobile-crematoria |access-date=1 July 2025 |work=babel.ua |date=26 January 2023 |language=en}} Krazna Zorka, Crimea;{{cite news |title=General Staff: Russians burn dead soldiers’ bodies to hide losses |url=https://kyivindependent.com/general-staff-russians-burn-dead-soldiers-bodies-to-hide-losses/ |access-date=1 July 2025 |work=The Kyiv Independent |date=15 February 2023 |language=en}} Tokmak, Zaporizhzhia Oblast;{{cite news |title=Occupiers equip mobile crematorium in Tokmak to conceal number of deaths among Russians – AFU General Staff |url=https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/890299.html |access-date=1 July 2025 |work=Interfax-Ukraine |date=9 February 2023 |language=en}} and Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast.{{cite news |title=Russia forced to use mobile crematoriums, morgues due to high casualties in Avdiyivka – Center for National Resistance |url=https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/967787.html |access-date=1 July 2025 |work=Interfax-Ukraine |language=en}}

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{{2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|War crimes}}

Category:War crimes during the Russian invasion of Ukraine