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Izium mass graves
Exhumation of the bodies, 16 September 2022
Details
Established	1 April – 10 September 2022
Location	Izium, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine
Type	Mostly unmarked
No. of graves	At least 445 Ukrainian civilians, including victims of alleged torture and execution

On 15 September 2022, several mass graves, including one site containing at least 445 Ukrainian civilians killed in Russian attacks and strikes, were found in the Ukrainian city of Izium after it was liberated by Ukrainian forces during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to reports, the graves contained bodies of both adults and children, victims of torture and executions.

Background

After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February 2022, the battle for control of the town of Izium began in March 2022, due to the town's importance as a transportation node. The Russian military wanted to capture Izium so its forces in the Kharkiv Oblast could link up with their troops in the Donbas region. On 1 April, the Ukrainian military confirmed Izium was under Russian control.

Following the launch of the Ukrainian southern counteroffensive in Kherson in late August, Ukrainian forces began a simultaneous counteroffensive in early September in Kharkiv Oblast, in the northeast of the country. Following an unexpected thrust deep into Russian lines, Ukraine recovered many hundreds of square kilometers of territory by 9 September. On 10 September 2022 Ukrainian forces recaptured the town during the 2022 Ukrainian Kharkiv counteroffensive.

Reports

On 15 September 2022, after Russian forces were driven out of the city in the Kharkiv counteroffensive, a large number of mostly unmarked graves was found in the woods close to Izium. Amid the trees were hundreds of graves with simple wooden crosses, most of them marked only with numbers, whilst one of the larger graves bore a marker saying it contained the bodies of at least 17 Ukrainian soldiers. By 16 September, investigators had discovered more than 445 graves of both civilians and soldiers, with some of the identification and location of the sites helped by Tamara Volodymyrovna, the head of the local funeral home. Volodymyrovna had been instructed by occupying forces to only indicate the graves with numbers and record both the number and individuals names in a journal.

Local firefighters were enlisted to help recover the human remains at the site, with one stating that after they unearth the body a moment of silence is held before the remains are quickly investigated for identifying characteristics or items. They are then placed in a bag and transported to a morgue for more detailed forensics.

A minority of the casualties were caused by artillery fire and from lack of healthcare. According to the authorities some of the bodies had their hands tied behind their back and showed signs of torture. Oleh Synyehubov, governor of Kharkiv region said:

"Among the bodies that were exhumed today, 99 per cent showed signs of violent death. There are several bodies with their hands tied behind their backs, and one person is buried with a rope around his neck. Obviously, these people were tortured and executed. There are also children among the buried."

Residents who survived the occupation stated that the Russians targeted specific individuals and that they already had lists of those locals who were in the military, the families of military people, or the people who were veterans of the War in Donbas. They also said that in selecting victims they would terrorize the townspeople by publicly strip searching them. Volodymyrovna, claimed that she had been allowed to bury territorial defense members and some soldiers, but the majority of Ukrainian soldier casualties she was not allowed to bury and did not know where the bodies were located.

Investigation

The United Nations responded by stating they plan to send monitors to Izium.

Reactions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy likened the discovery to the Bucha massacre as officials began forensic investigations. Individuals working the scene have been overcome with the process and emotions, with one telling reporters he believes they will need mental health help in the future as the work will stay with them forever.

Russia responded with a mass disinformation campaign on social media discreting the findings and labelling them as fake news. When directly asked by reporters about Zelenskyy's claims Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed that it was a lie and reiterated it was a similar lie as to the Bucha massacre.

The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an official statement "condemned the massacre", and called for respect for international humanitarian law and the investigation of the crimes committed. French president Emmanuel Macron condemned Izium atrocities committed under Russian occupation. John Kirby, of the White House National Security Council, said that "unfortunately, this matches the deprivation and brutality that the Russian Armed Forces are leading the war against Ukraine and the Ukrainian nation."

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski traveled from Zaporizhzhia where he had been delivering humanitarian aid, to join Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk of the Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhia Diocese to offer prayers for the deceased and the workers.

See also

• Bucha massacre
• War crimes in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

References

1. Koshiw, Isobel; Lorenzo, Tondo (16 September 2022). "'Some hanged themselves': the work to find answers amid Izium's mass grave". Izium: The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022.
2. Luke Harding (17 September 2022). "Izium: after Russian retreat, horrors of Russian occupation are revealed". Izium: The Guardian.
3. "Mass grave of more than 440 bodies found in Izium, Ukraine, police say". Reuters. 15 September 2022. Archived from the original on 15 September 2022.
4. Julia Skoryk (19 September 2022). ""Przebaczyć? Nigdy! To jest nasz wielki, palący ból". Pomordowanych w Iziumie mogą być tysiące" ["Forgive? Never! This our great, burning pain". There may be thousands of murdered people in Izium]. ukrayina.pl (in Polish and Ukrainian). Lviv: gazeta.pl. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
5. "FIRST ON CNN: Major infrastructure in central Izyum is destroyed, new satellite images show". CNN. 25 March 2022.
6. "На Київщині ЗСУ звільнили 15 населених пунктів – зведення Генерального штабу". Радіо Свобода.
7. Njoka, Eric (9 August 2022). "Moscow sends reinforcement to Kharkiv as Ukraine claims taking several towns and villages from Russia. Is the Russian front crumbling near Kharkiv?". WIO News. Archived from the original on 10 September 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
8. Santora, Marc; Lukinova, Anna (10 September 2022). "Ukrainian Forces Take Key City, Igniting New Phase in War". The New York Times.
9. "Ukraine war: Zelenskyy raises flag in recently recaptured Izium". Euronews. 15 September 2022. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
10. ^ Maloletka, Evgeniy (16 September 2022). "Ukraine's president says a new mass grave is found near a recaptured city". NPR. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
11. ^ Koshiw, Isobel; Tondo, Lorenzo (16 September 2022). "'We don't know where the rest of the bodies went': the search for answers in Izium". the Guardian. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
12. ^ Chaze, Emmanuelle (18 September 2022). "Ukraine war: Izium bodies show signs of torture and execution". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
13. "Mass Grave Found in Ukraine Town Retaken from Russia: Zelensky". Kyiv Post. 16 September 2022.
14. Bachega, Hugo; Murphy, Matt (16 September 2022). "Ukraine war: Hundreds of graves found in liberated Izyum city - officials". BBC News.
15. ^ Harding, Luke (16 September 2022). "Ukraine says victims from Izium mass grave show signs of torture". Kyiv: The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
16. "Mass grave found in retaken Ukrainian city of Izyum". Financial Times.
17. Tondo, Lorenzo; Koshiw, Isobel (14 September 2022). "'People disappeared': Izium's residents on Russia's occupation". Izium: The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
18. Tomasz Gdaniec (17 September 2022). "Rosjanie rozbierali Ukraińców na ulicach. Wiadomo, czego szukali" [The Russians were stripping Ukrainians on the streets. It's known what they were looking for] (in Polish). onet.pl.
19. Child, David (16 September 2022). "UN to probe Izyum mass grave reports". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
20. "Ukraine: UN rights office set to probe 'mass graves' in newly liberated east". UN News. 16 September 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
21. PAP (19 September 2022), Tak Rosja kłamie o zbrodniach w Iziumie. Oto przykłady. [This how Russia lies about the crimes in Izium. Here are examples.] (in Polish), onet.pl
22. "Kremlin says Ukrainian war crimes claims are a lie". uk.news.yahoo.com. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
23. "Condena a la masacre de la fosa común de Izium" [Condemnation of the massacre at the mass graves at Izium]. Ministerio de Asuntos exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación (in Spanish). 17 September 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
24. Fang, Xing (17 September 2022). "Macron condemns 'atrocities' in Izyum, Ukraine". Macau Business. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
25. Mateusz Czmiel (17 September 2022). "Biały Dom reaguje na apel Zełenskiego. "Przerażające"" [The White House reacts to Zelenskyy's appeal. "Shocking"] (in Polish). Wirtualna Polska.
26. Capelli, Benedetta; Bordoni, Linda (20 September 2022). "Cardinal Krajewski prays before mass graves in Izium - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. Retrieved 20 September 2022.

• 21st-century mass murder in Ukraine
• Child murder during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
• History of Kharkiv Oblast
• Mass graves
• Russian war crimes in Ukraine
• September 2022 events in Ukraine
• War crimes during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine