New Delhi: Ukrainian authorities have found a mass burial site in woods near the northeastern town of Izyum, days after the city re-taken from Russia.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his address to the nation on Thursday revealed the discovery of the burial site that reportedly contains some 440 bodies. “We want the world to know what is really happening and what the Russian occupation has led to. Bucha, Mariupol, now, unfortunately, Izyum… Russia leaves death everywhere,” he said. “And it must be held accountable for that.”
Officials said that hundreds of wooden crosses, most of them marked with numbers, were discovered in a forest outside the town by Ukrainian forces.
Regional police head Volodymyr Tymoshko told the BBC more than 400 bodies were thought to have been buried at the site.
Andriy Yermak, the head of President Zelensky’s office, tweeted a photo of the alleged mass burial site, also saying that more information was expected on Friday.
A mass burial was found in Izyum, Kharkiv region. Necessary procedures have already begun. All bodies will be exhumed and sent for forensic examination. Expect more information tomorrow.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) September 15, 2022
Russia is a murderer country. A state sponsor of terrorism. pic.twitter.com/7pKTrYvlUF
Izyum, invaded in the early days of the war, was used by Russia as a key military hub to supply its forces from the east.