Russia Secretly Buries Bodies of Killed Ukrainian Teenagers in Occupied Berdiansk

Russia has cynically refused to return the bodies of 16-year-olds Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov, as well as Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, who were killed in occupied Berdiansk.

Russian occupation authorities have reportedly secretly buried the bodies of two 16-year-old Ukrainians, Tihran Ohannisian and Mykyta Khanhanov, who were killed on June 24, 2023. Russian officials claimed the teens died in a firefight and accused them of preparing an alleged “sabotage operation.”

This accusation has been used as a pretext to withhold their bodies, depriving their families of closure and the truth behind their deaths. Similar suspicions have now arisen in the case of Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, whose body has also not been returned to her family.

The persecution and killing of the two teenagers initially sparked condemnation both in Ukraine and internationally. Tihran and Mykyta died the day before Mykyta’s 17th birthday, which he had planned to celebrate on June 25.

According to Tihran’s mother, she had spoken with her son just half an hour before Russian authorities announced that the teens had allegedly committed a terrorist attack and died. Her son was calm, sharing that he would return home by 9 p.m. and was looking forward to celebrating his friend’s birthday and visiting his family in Germany.

On the evening of June 24, a video of Tihran Ohannisian began circulating on Russian Telegram channels. Russian collaborator Vladimir Rogov shared it, claiming a “pro-Ukrainian terrorist attack” and listing only Tihran’s first name, omitting his age, while asserting that he had previously been detained for “anti-Russian activity.” In the video, Tihran, wearing a tactical glove and holding a weapon, says, “That’s it; death, guys. Goodbye! Glory to Ukraine!”

While Russian authorities claimed the teens were killed by sniper fire, this narrative contradicted available evidence, including the number of wounds found on the bodies. There were also inconsistencies in the timing of the teens' deaths and descriptions of their clothing.

A month before their deaths, occupation authorities had accused the teens of planning a sabotage operation on a railway line, opening a criminal case on “terrorist activity.” Human rights defenders report that Tihran had been subjected to torture, prompting outrage, including from the European Parliament, which demanded that the persecution of the teenagers stop.