The site near Izium, which was recently recaptured from Russian forces, appears to be one of the largest of its kind discovered in Ukraine. Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of violence and death.
The Associated PressUkraine begins investigating mass grave in IziumUkrainian authorities have begun unearthing bodies from a mass burial site in a forest near Izium recaptured from Russian forces, including some they said bore signs of torture.
Associated Press journalists who visited the site saw graves marked with simple wooden crosses. Flowers hung from the markers on some of the graves, and some bore people's names. He cited evidence of atrocities, such as a body with a rope around its neck and broken arms. In another sign of possible torture, one man was found with his hands tied, according to Serhiy Bohdan, the head of Kharikiv police investigations, and Ukraine's commissioner for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets.Zelenskyy, who visited the Izium area on Wednesday, said the discoveries showed again the need for world leaders to declare Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.
Ukrainian forces gained access to the site near Izium after recapturing the northeastern city and much of the wider Kharkiv region in a recent lightning advance that suddenly shifted the momentum in the nearly seven-month war. Ukrainian officials said they also found evidence of torture elsewhere in the region.The UN human rights office said it would investigate, and the human rights group Amnesty International, said the discovery of the mass burial site confirmed "our darkest fears.
Women stand near a residential building destroyed by a military strike in Izium, Ukraine, on Thursday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that a mass grave has been found near the city.