‘Sky News' releases report on Russian soldiers who allegedly died in Ukraine

The British news channel Sky News has released its report on Russian soldiers who allegedly died in Ukraine during combat. The report, which is just over 6 minutes long, is based on an investigation launched by Russian activists and tells the stories of three Russian soldiers.

Last week, the Russian news website RBC reported the Sky News had put off releasing the report after Vladimir Putin issued an executive order on May 28 classifying information about Russian military deaths in peacetime. A Sky News spokesperson denied the claims in RBC's story.

In the report, the correspondent visits the graves of three Russian soldiers, which are adorned with military wreaths from the Ministry of Defense. There are also interviews with the soldiers' relatives and friends, some of whom say they were told the men died in Russia’s North Caucasus.

A military conflict has been raging since the spring of 2014 in the east of Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists are fighting the Ukrainian army. Kiev has claimed on multiple occasions that Russian servicemen on active military duty are fighting alongside the separatists, while Russia officially denies any involvement in the military conflict.

Since the spring of 2014, human rights activists and journalists have found various graves belonging to Russian soldiers who died under undisclosed circumstances. In August 2014, near the Russian city of Pskov, several paratroopers were laid to rest. According to media reports, the paratroopers had died in Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense has consistently refused to provide information about the deaths.

On May 28, Vladimir Putin signed a decree classifying information about the deaths of military servicemen “during peacetime when carrying out special operations.” Before this, only military deaths during wartime regarded as a state secret.