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Ukraine

Ukraine invasion: Russian forces have mobile crematorium that can 'evaporate' soldiers killed in attacks

Machinery could be used as a way to minimize appearance of Russian military casualties

Stephanie Pagones By Stephanie Pagones , Jennifer Griffin Fox News
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Russian forces advance on Kyiv, face resistance from Ukrainian fighters Video

Russian forces advance on Kyiv, face resistance from Ukrainian fighters

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin reports on the Ukraine capital under siege and NATO's next move.

Russia’s cache of weaponry and machinery includes a mobile crematorium, which is mounted on a vehicle and can be deployed if needed during the ongoing, devastating invasion of Ukraine, Fox News has confirmed. 

The mobile crematorium has been seen among the Russian troops that, led by President Vladimir Putin, continue their advance onto the neighbor country, The Telegraph reported and Fox News has confirmed. 

Ben Wallace, the British secretary of defense, told The Telegraph the mobile crematorium could be used as a way to minimize the appearance of Russian military casualties. Footage taken in 2014 provides a glimpse into the machinery and its capabilities.  

LIVE UPDATES: KYIV MAYOR ISSUES DIRE UPDATE AS RUSSIAN TROOPS CLOSE IN

Russian forces forged ahead Friday in their efforts to take Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, using what was believed to have been a method of encircling the country following a series of airstrike attacks. 

The advance on Kyiv is seen as an attempt to replace the Ukrainian presidency with a Kremlin-friendly regime.

UKRAINIAN GUARDS TELL RUSSIAN TROOPS TO 'GO F YOURSELF' IN VIRAL AUDIO

Pre-dawn explosions rocked Kyiv and gunfire was reported in parts of the city, while Ukraine's military said a group of Russian spies and saboteurs was seen on the capital's outskirts. Police told people not to exit a central subway station because of gunfire in the area.

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING IMAGES ARE GRAPHIC IN NATURE

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    Damaged building following a blast at around 4am during Russian artillery strikes in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (Erin Trieb/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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    Damaged residential building at Koshytsa Street, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where a military shell allegedly hit, on Feb. 25, 2022.   (DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

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    A residential building damaged by a missile on Feb. 25, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Yesterday, Russia began a large-scale attack on Ukraine, with Russian troops invading the country from the north, east and south, accompanied by air strikes and shelling.  (Pierre Crom/Getty Images)

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    Image 4 of 21

    A Ukrainian Army soldier inspects fragments of a downed aircraft in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Zamirovsky)

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    Firefighters work at a damaged residential building at Koshytsa Street, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where a military shell allegedly hit, on Feb. 25, 2022.  (GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images)

  • Ukraine
    Image 6 of 21

    Natali Sevriukova reacts next to her house following a rocket attack the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022.  (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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    Firefighters work at a damaged residential building at Koshytsa Street, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where a military shell allegedly hit, on Feb. 25, 2022.  (GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images)

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    A police officer stands guard at a damaged residential building at Koshytsa Street, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where a military shell allegedly hit, on Feb. 25, 2022. 

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      (Ukraine Emergency Ministry / HHandout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

  • Ukraine
    Image 10 of 21

    A woman walks away from a damaged residential building at Koshytsa Street, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where a military shell allegedly hit, on Feb. 25, 2022.  (GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images)

  • Image 11 of 21

    Firefighters work at a damaged residential building at Koshytsa Street, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where a military shell allegedly hit, on Feb. 25, 2022. (GENYA SAVILOV/AFP via Getty Images)

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    View of a building damaged following a rocket attack the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022.  (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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    People look at the damage following a rocket attack the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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    People take shelter at a building basement while the sirens sound, announcing new attacks in the city of Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022.  (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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    People lie in the Kyiv subway, using it as a bomb shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022.  (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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    Several buildings in Starobilsk within the Luhansk Oblast region of Ukraine show significant damage because of shelling, according to images shared by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine)

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    Several buildings in Starobilsk within the Luhansk Oblast region of Ukraine show significant damage because of shelling. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine)

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    Several buildings in Starobilsk within the Luhansk Oblast region of Ukraine show significant damage because of shelling. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine)

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    Several buildings in Starobilsk within the Luhansk Oblast region of Ukraine show significant damage because of shelling. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine)

  • Ukraine
    Image 20 of 21

    Several buildings in Starobilsk within the Luhansk Oblast region of Ukraine show significant damage because of shelling. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine)

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    Several buildings in Starobilsk within the Luhansk Oblast region of Ukraine show significant damage because of shelling. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine)

The assault, anticipated for weeks by the West, amounts to Europe's largest ground conflict since World War II. It could also portend the emergence of a new "Iron Curtain" between the West and Russia, with global repercussions.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed for defense assistance and tougher sanctions on Russia. President Biden was to meet Friday with fellow NATO leaders in a virtual summit.

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The U.N. human rights office said it was receiving increasing reports of civilian casualties, with at least 25 deaths verified, mostly from shelling and airstrikes. "The figures, we fear, could be much higher," agency spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said. And at least 102 people were said to have been injured so far.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Stephanie Pagones is a Digital Reporter for FOX Business and Fox News. Story tips can be sent to stephanie.pagones@fox.com and on Twitter: @steph_pagones.