After the withdrawal of Russian troops: according to media reports, a mass grave was discovered in Isjum

Enlarge image

Izyum: A destroyed bridge on the Siverskiy-Donets river

Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka / dpa

After the recapture in the east of the country, Ukrainian authorities say they have been finding evidence of alleged crimes by the Russian occupying power for days.

According to a report by Sky News, a mass grave with more than 440 bodies has now been found in the liberated city of Izyum.

In its report, the broadcaster refers to exclusive information from senior Ukrainian police officer Serhiy Bolvinov.

According to Bolvinov, the bodies would now be examined by a forensic doctor to collect evidence of alleged Russian war crimes.

Other mass graves known

According to the report, Ukrainian police are aware of other mass graves in the retaken areas.

However, the one in Izyum is "one of the largest, with more than 440 bodies," Bolvinov is quoted as saying.

“We know that some of the dead were shot, some died from artillery fire, so-called mine blast trauma.

Some died from air raids,” Bolvinov said.

From other places in the region there have been unverified reports about the discovery of murdered people for days.

After the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kyiv area in the spring, hundreds of dead civilians were discovered there.

Despite overwhelming evidence, Moscow denied that Russian soldiers were responsible for the killings and spoke of a Ukrainian staging.

With a surprise strike a few days ago, Ukraine achieved one of the most significant gains in territory since the early phase of the war and turned the tide in its favor.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the Russian withdrawal from Izyum, a good 120 kilometers south-east of Kharkiv, as a breakthrough in the Russian war of aggression that had been going on for six months.

This winter could bring further rapid gains in territory for Ukraine, especially if the armed forces continue to be supplied with heavy weapons.