Russians could have secretly buried teenagers killed in Berdiansk

This summer, the Russian authorities in Berdiansk could have secretly buried the bodies of teenagers Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov who were shot dead in 2023.

Source: Radio Liberty with reference to Andrii Yakovlev, a lawyer and representative of the Ohannisian family

Quote: "It was a secret burial. The fact is that they [the teenagers] were charged under an article that includes the charge of ‘terrorist activity’. And since this case was closed, conditionally due to non-rehabilitating circumstances, the boys are not alive, so they closed the case and did not continue the investigation."

Read more: They were waiting for Ukraine's return: the story of the murder of two teenagers in Russian-occupied Berdiansk and the trumped-up case against them

Details: The lawyer said that the Russians have a "rule" according to which, in such circumstances, the bodies are not handed over to relatives and buried in secret. However, this was not an official act whereby the family could be informed of the burial sites.

Background:

• 16-year-olds Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov were active members of anti-Russian communities. On 30 September 2022, the Russian military abducted Tihran Ohannisian, who lived with his grandmother in temporarily occupied Berdiansk. During interrogations, the Russians tortured the teenager but released him on 5 October. Since then, the Russians have regularly interrogated and searched the homes of Tihran Ohannisian and his classmate Mykyta Khanhanov.
• In January 2023, the Russian military prevented Tihran's parents from taking him out of the temporarily occupied territory, and the teenager was returned from Taganrog.
• On 24 May, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation charged Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov with allegedly preparing a railway sabotage. The case was being prepared for trial, and the Russian Federation planned to sentence the boys to 20 years in prison.
• On 15 June, the European Parliament adopted a resolution demanding Russia stop persecuting Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov and release them to Ukraine's territory.
• On 24 June, Russian propagandists reported the murder of "two pro-Ukrainian terrorists", who turned out to be Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov. Before his death, Tihran recorded a video that ended with the words "Glory to Ukraine!". Russians accused the teenagers of murdering a military serviceman and a police collaborator.

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