Russia has been allegedly destroying the bodies of its soldiers who die in Ukraine to hide evidence of its involvement in the ongoing conflict.

The dead troops have been burnt to ash in ‘mobile crematoriums’, US lawmakers who recently travelled to the warzone have claimed.

“The Russians are trying to hide their casualties by taking mobile crematoriums with them,” Armed Services Committee chairman Mac Thornberry told Bloomberg.

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“They are trying to hide not only from the world but from the Russian people their involvement,” he said.

Mr Thornberry’s claim was reportedly based on classified information provided by Ukrainian sources and ratified by US intelligence.

For over a year, the Russian government repeatedly denied giving any official support to separatist rebels in Ukraine, who have fought the independent Ukrainian government for closer ties to Moscow.

Groups of heavily-armed, camouflaged and frequently masked troops bearing no official insignia fighting with the rebels since February 2014 were members of the Russian army, the US and international media have claimed.

In March, Russian president Vladimir Putin seemed to finally admit to deploying special forces to the region.

“In order to block and disarm 20,000 well-armed [Ukrainian soldiers], you need a specific set of personnel,” said Mr Putin in a TV documentary, as translated by Ukraine Today.

“We needed specialists who know how to do it.”

After the interview was aired, Russian officials have persisted with their denials of widespread military involvement.

Despite a ceasefire brokered by Germany and France in February, fighting has continued.