Local residents of a northeast Ukrainian town are braving mines laid by their former Russian occupiers across graves to mourn and bury their loved ones.

Trostyanets is only a 20-mile drive from the Russian border and was occupied by Russian forces for approximately a month. The town was retaken by Ukrainian forces in late March, but the area has still seen sporadic shelling by Russian forces. According to the local government, Russian forces completely withdrew from the surrounding Sumy region around a week ago.

Nevertheless, fresh remnants of the Russian occupiers are still scattered amongst the main cemetery of the town, which was right across from a makeshift Russian military base. According to cemetery staff, the Russian forces had laid mines randomly across graves, which are still undergoing a process of de-mining.

Natalie Evdomikova’s 23-year-old son Dmytro was killed while serving for the Ukrainian military near Kharkiv on 29 March, but this didn’t deter her and her family from burying him in a mine-laden cemetery.

“We held a funeral (for my son) when they liberated Trostyanets. We were afraid, thinking, maybe some of the Russian fascists are still here and will blow up the grave,” 46-year-old Evdomikova said on Saturday while visiting Dmytro’s grave.

Fearing the return of Russian forces and further attacks, Evdomikova and her family placed a photograph of Dmytro, smiling, over a wooden cross, instead of a stone tombstone.

The manager of the cemetery, Olena Matvienko, said that there are several no-go zones of the cemetery, and is unsure as to how many mines remain. A new row of graves, some for victims of the Russian occupation and shelling, has been dug.

“Many people died (during the occupation). We have buried about 20 here. They are those who were found. But this isn’t the final number,” said Matvienko.

Since Russian troops withdrew from some towns and villages, Ukrainian troops have been showing journalists corpses of what they say are civilians killed by Russian forces, destroyed houses and burnt-out cars.

The West says the dead civilians are evidence of war crimes.

Russia has denied attacking civilians and said some reports have been staged for propaganda purposes.

To watch more videos from The Telegraph, subscribe to our YouTube channel.