Sorrow and tears reigned when coffins containing the bodies of soldiers killed in the war against Russia arrived on Saturday at the military section of the 18th Cemetery in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
Two coffins were placed on trestles in the necropolis in the municipality of Bezliudivka: inside are the bodies of Sergei Profotilov, born in 1976, and Igor Malenkov, born in 1985, of soldiers killed in the eastern village of Vilkhivka. of Harkhiv.
His date of death appears to be the last May 11 on the cross, but that was probably the day their bodies were found in this area of protracted conflict.
“They were found with five other bodies, whose identity we could not find. We suspect they were executed. They were shot in the back of the head,” says another soldier, who asked not to reveal his identity.
It is impossible to learn more. Only half a dozen soldiers and the brother of one of the victims attend the funeral, which is presided over by a military chaplain who recites prayers and shakes incense.
The ceremony lasts for an hour, with the noise of the artillery battle between the Russians and the Ukrainians in the background, tens of kilometers away.
After greetings and brief hugs, everyone leaves. The brother of one of the soldiers, who was given a death certificate, is walking alone among dozens of graves.
At the same time, two minibuses arrived carrying members of the Ukrainian foreign legion. A dozen foreign soldiers pay their last respects to a Dutchman killed by artillery fire.
Legionnaires forbid filming or revealing their names. There is no religious ceremony, just a short speech in English by an officer followed by a minute’s silence. One soldier with a British flag on his vest gives a soldier’s salute, while the other strokes the cross before leaving.
A few meters away, the fourth funeral of the day begins as family members of 47-year-old Olexander Gaponchev, who died in Tsyrkuny (north of the city), arrive at the cemetery. Most networks.
The fifth funeral begins in minutes. Unconvinced, the soldier’s mother cries for her son’s coffin. It’s starting to rain. Another woman, possibly the deceased’s wife, is also crying before the coffin is buried. As everyone rushes to throw a handful of earth, the gravediggers cover the grave very quickly with a shovel.
A wooden cross with the name of the deceased will remain in the tomb as a witness. In the background, countless Ukrainian flags are flying as it continues to rain.
source: Noticias
