Putin “leaves death everywhere”: after hasty Russian withdrawal, Ukrainians find horror

Created: 09/16/2022, 09:33

By: Bettina Menzel

Unidentified graves of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers killed by Russian forces earlier in the war at a cemetery in the recently recaptured city of Izyum (September 15, 2022).

© Evgeniy Maloletka/AP/dpa +++ dpa picture radio +++

After the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities apparently discovered a mass grave and evidence of torture chambers.

Izyum - A counter-offensive by the Ukrainian armed forces in the Ukraine war was apparently successful: Russian troops left Izyum and other areas in the Kharkiv region in eastern Ukraine last week.

According to their own statements, Ukrainian authorities discovered a mass grave and evidence of torture chambers after the withdrawal.

After withdrawal of Russian troops: mass grave with more than 440 bodies discovered

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rarely left the capital Kyiv for security reasons since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

On Wednesday, however, he traveled to the recaptured city of Izyum in the east of the country to see for himself.

In a video message on Thursday, the Ukrainian head of state announced that a "mass grave" had been found in Izyum.

“Bucha, Mariupol and now, unfortunately, also Izyum: Russia leaves death everywhere and has to answer for it.

The world must hold Russia to real responsibility for this war,” Zelenskyy said.

Journalists should be on site this Friday.

"We want the world to know what really happened and what the Russian occupation led to," the Ukrainian leader said.

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, the chief of the investigative authority of the police in the Kharkiv region, Serhiy Bolvynov, spoke

of finding more than 440 bodies in a forest.

In the spring, after the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kiev suburb of Bucha and in numerous other places, Ukraine had already complained about the most serious war crimes.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen believes it is "possible" that Russian President Vladimir Putin will have to answer to the International Criminal Court.

There is no doubt that the most serious war crimes are being committed in Ukraine, said von der Leyen on Bild TV.

Ukrainian authorities apparently also find evidence of torture chambers

After the apparently hasty withdrawal of Russian troops, evidence of torture chambers was also found in the Kharkov region, Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Jenin said on Friday.

Both Ukrainian citizens and foreigners were held there under "inhumane conditions".

The corpses showed signs of torture, Jenin reported to the Ukrainian radio station NV.

The information could not initially be independently verified.

However, the minister's account matched at least six reports collected by the local police in Kharkiv since last weekend.

Military experts had initially expressed doubts about the chances of success of a Ukrainian counter-offensive.

However, according to Ukrainian information, the Russian troops left the Kharkiv region “in a hurry on Saturday.” The Ministry of Defense in Moscow spoke of a “regrouping” of its troops.

However, even sources close to the Kremlin spoke of a defeat.

In some cases, critical voices were also raised in Russia.

The Kremlin-loyal head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, criticized the "mistakes" of the leadership in Moscow.