MASS GRAVES SAID TO CONTAIN BODIES OF RUSSIAN SOLDIERS

According to the deputy head of Russia’s federal procuracy, some 110 bodies found in mass graves in Chechnya are those of Russian servicemen. The Interfax news agency quoted Mikhail Fridinksy on May 10 as calling “absolutely baseless” allegations that the bodies were in fact those of Chechens killed by federal forces. The graves were said by Defense Ministry investigators to have been found in the Grozny, Gudermes, Urus-Martan, Shali, Shatoi and Naursky districts.

It was not clear from Fridinsky’s announcement whether any of the 110 were among Russian servicemen previously reported to have been missing or killed in action–whether officially or by independent groups such as the Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers. He said that work to identify the bodies would continue.