Ukraine has demanded tougher international action against Russia after bodies showing signs of torture were allegedly found in a mass grave in the eastern Kharkiv region, which Moscow’s troops controlled for several months before being routed by Kyiv’s recent counteroffensive.
“The whole world should see this ... More than 400 bodies were found at the mass burial site in Izyum. With signs of torture, children, those killed as a result of missile attacks, warriors of the armed forces of Ukraine,” the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday.
“Russia has already become the biggest source of terrorism in the world, and no other terrorist power leaves behind so many deaths. This must be recognised legally. The world must act. Russia must be recognised as a state sponsor of terrorism,” he added.
Russian forces seized swathes of Kharkiv region soon after launching its all-out invasion of Ukraine in February, but fled in disarray this month as Kyiv’s troops counter-attacked, leaving behind ranks of armoured vehicles and big ammunition stores.
“We are at the site of the mass burial of people, civilians who were buried here, and now according to our information they all have the signs of violent death,” said Kharkiv governor Oleh Synehubov.
“There are bodies with hands tied behind [their backs]. Each fact will be investigated and will be properly and legally evaluated.”
It is not yet clear how many civilian and how many soldiers were buried in the woodland pit in Izyum, or how they died, but Ukrainian officials warned that the site could contain evidence of the kind of atrocities that took place in Bucha, Irpin and other towns near Kyiv when they were occupied by Russia at the start of the all-out war.
“Unfortunately, this is only the beginning of our work here, how many locations will still be found in the de-occupied territories is not yet known, but the harsh reality is that the death toll in Izyum may be many times higher than the Bucha tragedy,” said Oleh Kotenko, Ukraine’s commissioner for missing people.
‘Torture chambers’
National police chief Ihor Klymenko revealed that 10 “torture chambers” had been found in Izyum and other towns controlled until this month by Russian troops, saying: “We know for sure that people were tortured there, and we already have information about those who died there.”
Moscow denies committing atrocities in Ukraine, and Russian president Vladimir Putin claimed on Friday that the Kremlin was ready to “do everything to stop this [war] as soon as possible”.
He added: “But unfortunately the opposing side, the leadership of Ukraine, has announced its rejection of the negotiation process and stated that it wants to achieve its aims by military means, on the battlefield, as they say.”
Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Mr Zelenskiy, said in response: “Putin is talking about the desire for peace again? Amazingly. Because ‘conflict resolution’ is extremely simple. Immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from the entire territory of Ukraine.”
International leaders vowed to bring the perpetrators of any war crimes to justice.
As Ukrainian “land is liberated, death is uncovered,” Britain’s ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons wrote in a social media message. “Justice for crimes ... must go hand in hand with rebuilding.”
The United States announced it would send a further $600 million in military aid to Kyiv, while European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told German media that Ukraine should get whatever it needs.
“If they say they need battle tanks, then we should take it seriously and deliver it to them,” she said.
