Russian officials said on January 22nd that 524 bodies had been discovered in "collective burial sites" in the Kursk region, a border area once occupied by Ukrainian forces for a short time.
The information was announced to the press by Tatyana Moskalkova, Russian High Commissioner for Human Rights, accompanied by accusations that Kiev committed many war crimes during its presence here.
According to Russia, Ukrainian forces launched an offensive into the Kursk region in August 2024 and initially achieved some results. Kiev then described this move as aimed at putting pressure on Moscow and creating an advantage in later negotiations.
However, the campaign quickly stalled as Russia gradually pushed back Ukrainian forces, before declaring complete retake of the region in April 2025.
Ms. Moskalkova said Moscow has mobilized all resources to find civilians affected by the fighting. Since August 2024, a total of 524 bodies have been found in mass graves, but she did not specify nationality or identify them as soldiers or civilians.
According to data released by Ms. Moskalkova, 2,173 people were registered missing during the fighting in Kursk. Among these, 1,378 people have been found, 452 people are still being searched and 343 people have been confirmed dead.
Russian officials also said they have received many accusations that Ukrainian forces conducted indiscriminate shelling, caused violence against civilians and abused prisoners of war during their presence in the area. Ms. Moskalkova said these actions constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law.
In addition to allegations related to the previous period, Ms. Moskalkova also said that Ukrainian forces continued to shell the Russian border areas. According to her, as of January 20, 2026, these attacks have killed 10 people and injured 52 civilians, including 3 children.
Ms. Moskalkova also accused Ukraine of detaining 12 residents of the Kursk region contrary to the Geneva Convention, and called for the unconditional release of these people.
In previous prisoner exchanges, some residents of Kursk were returned by Kiev to Russia.
Previously, Mr. Aleksandr Bastrykin, head of the Russian Investigation Committee, said that a total of 445 civilians were killed and 553 injured during Ukraine's control of the area.
There is currently no information from the Ukrainian side.
