Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday accused Russian troops of “murder” and “torture” after hundreds of graves were discovered in a forest near Izium, a city recently reclaimed by Kiev troops.
“Russia only causes death and suffering. Murderers. Torturers. Deprived of all that is human”Zelensky said on his Telegram account on the social network, promising a “terribly fair punishment.”
“Bucha, Mariupol, now unfortunately Izium. Russia (…) must be held accountable”promised the Ukrainian leader.
This Friday, Ukrainian authorities exhumed bodies, some with torture marks, at a cemetery in an area recently recaptured from Russian troops. While digging in the rain, workers pulled body after body from sandy soil in a pine forest near Izium, where authorities say 445 graves lie.
Ukrainian troops gained access to the site after the recapture of Izium, as well as much of the Kharkiv region, in a counter-offensive against the Russian army.
Some bodies were found with their hands tied behind their backs and ropes around their necks, said chief prosecutor Oleksandr Filchakov, who admitted evidence of torture was found elsewhere.
Witnesses and a Ukrainian investigator said some were shot and others killed by artillery fire, mines or air strikes.
The UN human rights organization has already said it will investigate the killings.
Authorities believe most of the people buried there are civilians, but there was at least one mass grave where 17 Ukrainian soldiers were discovered.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on Feb. 24 has already resulted in more than 13 million people having fled — more than six million internally displaced persons and more than seven million to neighboring countries — according to the latest UN data, which ranks this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by Putin with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the generality of the international community, which has responded by sending arms to Ukraine and imposing political and economic sanctions on Russia. to submit to Russia.
Source: DN
