'Criminals AGAINST HUMANITY' 'Mass grave with 440 bodies' discovered in city liberated from Russian control, as Ukraine counterattack continues
In a report Friday morning, the Interior Ministry of Ukraine said that a mass grave containing at least 440 bodies was found in a city occupied by Russian forces from April 1 until it was discovered. Ukrainian forces liberated on September 10.
Investigative police chief Serhii Bolvinov said all the bodies would be dug up and sent for a forensic examination to gather evidence of suspected Russian war crimes.
He described the grim discovery as a "crime against humanity".
The top police officer told Sky News: “I would say there is one of the largest burial grounds in a city that has just been liberated. About 440 bodies were buried in one place.”
“A lot of bodies have yet to be identified. Therefore, the cause of death will be determined during the investigation. "
He added: “For me, it is particularly shocking and appalling and this is a crime against humanity. It shouldn't happen like this in a civilized world in 2022."
“This is a horrible and unpleasant story from every angle. I firmly believe that the wicked will certainly be punished.”
Bolvinov said his officials are also aware of several other mass graves in the area.
In April, Ukraine began the daunting task of digging a mass grave in Bucha, where at least 400 victims of Russian atrocities are buried.
The Izium incident came as Putin faced humiliation in Ukraine as he suffered massive losses during the Ukrainian counter-offensive.
President Zelenskiy vowed to keep pushing forward as his army reached the edge of the Russian-held Donbas in a spectacular counterattack.
The heroic leader visited the town of Izium - a former Russian stronghold - days after Putin's troops fled in their heaviest defeat since retreating from Kyiv.
"We are going in only one direction - forward and towards victory," he said.
The Ukrainian army has made amazing achievements on the eastern and southern fronts, amid the collapse of Russian military resolve.
Ukraine says it has liberated about 6,000 square kilometers - an area the size of Devon - with a flash attack last week that caught the Russian military by surprise.
The UK and US long-range weapons - including highly mobile rocket launchers or HIMARS and guided-mass missile systems or GMLRS - were key to the success of the counter-attack, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said. public Kharkiv.
The incident also comes amid reports that Putin's troops have begun to leave another major city in the face of a swift Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Russian forces are said to be withdrawing from Melitopol in the Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine and heading towards Crimea annexed by Moscow in a fresh humiliation to the Kremlin.
Source:The Sun