The war in Ukraine, a mass grave is found near the recaptured city of Izium

2022-09-16 08:11:56Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

The war in Ukraine, a mass grave is found near the recaptured city of Izium

Ukrainian authorities have found a mass grave near a recaptured northeastern city previously occupied by Russian forces, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Thursday night. The tomb was discovered near Izium in the Kharkiv region.

"The necessary procedures have already started there. More information will be available tomorrow," Zelenskyy said in his late night televised speech. Associated Press reporters saw the site Thursday in a forest outside Izium. Among the trees were hundreds of graves with simple wooden crosses, most of them marked only with numbers. A larger grave bore a sign saying it contained the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers.
Investigators with metal detectors were scanning the site for any hidden explosives.

Oleg Kotenko, an official at the Ukrainian ministry in charge of reintegration of occupied territories, said videos Russian soldiers posted on social media showed more than 17 bodies in the grave.
President Zelenskyy named other Ukrainian cities where authorities said retreating Russian troops left behind mass civilian graves and evidence of alleged war crimes.

"Buça, Mariupol, now, unfortunately, Izium. … Russia leaves death everywhere. And for this he must bear responsibility. The world must bring Russia before the real responsibility for this war", he said. Russian forces withdrew from Izium and other parts of the Kharkiv region last week amid a stunning Ukrainian counter-offensive. On Wednesday, President Zelenskyy made a rare trip outside the Ukrainian capital to watch the raising of the national flag at the Izium town hall.

Sergei Bolvinov, a senior investigator for Ukrainian police in the eastern Kharkiv region, told Britain's Sky News network that a mass grave containing more than 440 bodies was discovered near Izium after Kiev forces entered the city. "We know that some of the people buried in the pit were shot, some died from artillery fire, from so-called mine blast trauma. Some died from airstrikes. Also, we have information that many bodies have not yet been identified," said Mr. Bolvinov.

Earlier on Thursday, Zelenskyy said that during the five months that the Russians occupied the region, they "only destroyed, only deprived, only took. They left behind devastated villages; in some of them there is not a single house undamaged. The invaders turned the schools into garbage dumps and the churches - destroyed."


Video